Ash's Dark War
by Unknown Bird
Summary: This is a prologue to Acey's Pokemon Master. Please read his story first. Ch7 is complete. First time readers should read until Ch3 before deciding to stop. It gets better the more you read. Ch7 beginning improved. M for Ch5&7
1. Chapter 01, Assumptions

_**Ash's Dark War**_

By Unknown Bird

Ace Sanchez's Pokemon Master, please read his story before you read mine. I don't want to ruin it for anyone.

Note: Pokemon and its associated characters are copyright by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc, and 4Kids Productions. Valdera is owned by Ace Sanchez.

Chapter 1 – Assumptions

A man in a brown hooded forest cloak stepped off the last step of the stairwell. He scanned the room, every detail being burned into his mind. From the scurrying interns to the head scientist scanning the computer screens, all in the half-light of the glowing machines nothing was missed. The man stepped through the threshold of the doorway and skulked over to the head scientist.

"Any news?" choked out the man.

"My god," responded the scientist, "you sound horrible. What happened?"

"I'd rather not talk about it right now." A pause as the man gathered himself. "And I asked you whether there was any more news."

"Nothing other than the first few reports. Some of which I don't believe. Humans using Pokémon elemental attacks? Ha!"

"Bill. I saw it," whispered the man. "Not two weeks ago. I didn't know what I was seeing then, but it's too late now."

"But, how?" Bill asked, disbelieving.

"I don't know how, but we'd better find out fast."

The computer Bill was sitting at flared red and alarm bells rang in the Defense Control Room.

"What's going on?" demanded the man.

"We sent a small scout group over to Viridian to check out what's going on. Maybe you should go lie down. You look awful."

"I'm fine. Will we receive video images?" Bill nodded to the man. "Then I'll stay and watch."

Bill moved the beginnings of the scout's reports and images onto the big screen up at the front of the room. Everyone stopped what he or she was doing to stand up and watch.

On the screen there were only trees flying past as the scout hurried to his objective. Sounds were minimal, with just a small scattering of cries from local birds Pokémon and Rattatas to be heard. The scout passed out of the trees and the people in the Defense Room got their first glimpse of Viridian City.

"What have they done!?" screamed a low-level scientist.

Fire seemed to be everywhere in Viridian City. Every house visible was either scorched or in the process. The scout, unperturbed by what he had seen so far, moved in to get a closer look. As he walked past the first charred bodies, the people behind Bill and the man could be heard violently emptying their stomachs. The scout moved past more burned houses while trying to get information on everything he was sending out. The scout cleared a mound of rubble and looked down into a deep crater that was once the middle of the city.

"It's Team Rocket," whispered Bill. "But isn't that Viridian City Gym? What're they doing there?" The man beside him remained silent but moved in closer to the big screen.

Thousands of Team Rocket members in their usual black attire with the red 'R' emblazoned on their chests stood impassively surrounded by cloaked figures of red, blue, green, brown, purple and yellow. The cloaks came down their feet, tied at the middle, and had a hood which was pulled over every person's head.

"Red for fire, blue for water, green for grass, brown for ground, purple for psychic and yellow for electric," mused the man in forest garb. "They all correspond to elemental abilities."

"What makes you say that?" asked an anonymous voice from the crowd.

"Just watch."

Suddenly the brown-cloaked men raised their arms and the ground beneath the scout erupted in an earthquake. The scout fell to the ground as it rose thirty feet into the air. The scout got up in time to watch in horror as the dirt wall that was created was strengthened by blasting it with fire. He threw the camera into the air so it wouldn't get burned. Unfortunately for him he was not quite so lucky.

"Good for him. He chose to keep us informed rather than keep his life," said the man coldly.

"How can you be so heartless?" shouted the same man as before.

"Because in war a heart is useless."

"W-war?"

The room remained quiet but for the heavy breathing of the collective breaths of scared scientists after that. All eyes stared at the screen, which was still sending back images. Electricity, coming from the yellow cloaked men this time, created electrically charged barbed wire atop the fire hardened thirty foot wall that went all the way around the outside of the gym, with three hundred yards in every direction of space in between. Electricity zapped the camera and the screen showed static.

Silence. A few people were either re-emptying their stomachs or doing it for the first time. The man just removed the hood of his cloak off of his head to reveal spiky black hair that almost reached his golden brown eyes. His pointed nose over his hair-less mouth crinkled up in disgust from the smell of the vomit.

"Now you know what we're up against," he said. "Giovanni will only create more."

A door at the back of the room opened and a man about the same in height as the man with black hair, at six feet, strode in.

"Who says it's Giovanni _creating_ them, Ash?" asked the man from just inside the door, still in the shadows.

"Call me, Ashura," he responded. "It is my full name after all, and she doesn't know it…" Ash's face twisted in pain at memories he'd wish forgotten.

"Fine, 'Ashura,'" the other man said with disgust, "answer my question." As the man made his rebuttal he stepped out from the shadows and revealed himself as the League Master, Gary Oak. A few of the lowly scientists gasped at their luck, for they had never thought they would ever get the chance to be in the same room as Gary Oak and Ash Ketchum at the same time. The two most powerful Pokémon trainers ever hadn't been near each other for some time now as Ash had been out exploring again while Gary had been dealing with some official League business. Even though the two have never been closer there was still some sort of barrier between them that keeps them from being good friends.

"Well Gary, 'Lord Garick,' all the men who can control the elements are Giovanni's men."

"That doesn't mean he's creating them. It just means that they are the first to receive these new powers. I have a really bad feeling about this and I feel that they must be stopped now while they are still learning their powers."

Ash choked down the sarcastic remark that tried to make itself heard, "How do you know all this?"

Gary waved his hand back at the door from which he came, "My grandfather, Professor Oak, was just watching the scout's report with me in the other room. He says that Giovanni has invoked only the first part of some prophecy of sorts and those who are attuned to different elements will gain powers as well. Since Giovanni was the one who invoked the prophecy his followers will receive their powers first."

"What kind of prophecy?"

Gary closed his eyes and lowered his head. "The end of the world kind. But don't worry, I don't think Giovanni will finish the prophecy. I think he just wants to bring the elements to his followers."

"Then why don't we just wait until we get our powers instead of fighting a war we can't win at the moment?" Some of the usual power of Ash's voice returned to him as he thought of the viciousness a war with Team Rocket could create. "Why fight now?!"

Gary looked Ash over slowly, raised his head, and spoke softly, "Who said we were guaranteed to get any?"

Those in the room who had thought for a moment that they might have a chance sank back into depression as they watched the League Master confer with an ally.

"Come," said Gary. "We shouldn't frighten these people anymore with such talk. Walk with me."

Ash and Gary left the Defense Room behind them as they walked the halls of the Palace of the Elite Four. Built hundreds of years ago the Palace housed the Elite Four and the League Master in fantastic splendor. It was a pentagon-shaped structure built upon layer upon layer of elegant balconies. Photographs and paintings depicting battle scenes and past League Masters lined the interior halls.

Ash stopped in front of one of the battle scenes. This one showed his Pikachu battling a Sandshrew in his race to become League Master.

"Ah yes," sighed Gary. "One of your best battles. I enjoyed watching that one. Where is Pikachu by the way?"

Ash slid his brown leather backpack off one shoulder and opened the top to reveal Pikachu sleeping inside.

Gary looked a little closer at the way Ash was holding himself with his head bent down, hands clenched and the slow even breaths that were the telltale signs of a battle going on inside Ash's own head. "You know, Ashura, you do look absolutely atrocious right now. What happened to you?"

"You wanted to talk, Gary, so talk," growled Ash.

"Yes, well. I wanted to know whether you could do me a favor."

Ash looked sideways at Gary, "What is it?"

"I need you to go out to the cities and gather in all of the gym leaders. You can take Misty wi…" Gary stopped short after noticing the look on Ash's face.

"Don't you ever mention _her_ name in my presence again!" Ash barely managed his voice to just under a shout but Gary could hear the pain behind his words, and the threat veiled underneath. Gary took a few steps back without realizing what he was doing and nodded his head to agree. "I'll do it," continued Ash after a long pause. "But I'll need a night to prepare."

Gary looked at him funny for a while then, "Don't leave without coming to see me first. Some cities don't have their teleporters up and others, like Pewter, might be under siege from Team Rocket already. So you might be on foot for most of the journey and trying to fight your way out at other times."

"I'm no stranger to a fight. Pikachu and I can handle anything Team Rocket can throw at us."

"Ash," he looked up at Gary. "This isn't mere Team Rocket anymore. This is different. We need those gym leaders here and alive. They'll be the first to gain their powers because they are closely attuned to their Pokémon's elemental abilities. Even if they don't gain them they are some of the most powerful trainers in the world."

"You want to match Team Rocket in power? That's reasonable. You didn't need that to be viewed as a favor. What else is there to this?"

Gary nodded, "That's right. Here's the catch. I need you to pick up anyone along the way that you see who you think will gain elemental powers or hold their own in a battle with Team Rocket."

"What! That could be anyone!" exclaimed Ash, outraged. "I could have complete idiots or violent people in my group!"

"Ashura. The future of the League depends on this. Please, please do it. For me."

Ash observed Gary silently for a while before nodding his head in acquiescence.

"One last thing," Gary raised his hands again defensively. "It really is the last thing. I need you to travel to Pewter by foot. This way you can gain intelligence on the Rocket army's makeup."

(Break)

"So we're heading to Pewter right?"

"Yeah, we're going to take over the cities one after another."

"With the help of these new…. What're they called again?"

"Pokémon Masters. The way they can use the elements I'll never forget their names."

"Pokémon Masters. I hope I never have to see them attack again. People just shouldn't be able to do things like that. It's unnatural."

"You won't have to see them again," declared a disembodied voice from among the trees.

"Who said that?" The two forward scouts for the Rocket army spun around looking for the source of the voice in Viridian Forest. "Show yourself!"

Appearing from behind a tree a couple meters in front of the two men was a tall, athletically built, young man in a brown forest cloak with his head hooded and unseen in the shadows. At his feet was a small yellow Pikachu that barely reached the man's shins.

"Who are you!?" asked the scout who had ordered for Ash's withdrawal from concealment.

"My name is Ashura, and I have come to alleviate you of all of your fears and worries."

The scouts didn't even have time to blink as Ash moved forward. He slid in between the two of them and elbowed them at the same time in the neck, snapping their spinal cords. Thereby killing them quickly and efficiently.

I wasn't always like this was I, Ash thought to himself as he ran. Able to kill like that? Life is too harsh for even a sixteen year old to continue living without learning some fighting techniques. When I was young I could live harmoniously with my Pokémon, and now all I have left is Pikachu. Team Rocket was the reason I had to change. They have ruined everything in my life. In my first year, when I was ten and trying to make it to the top Team Rocket had to go and steal all those peoples' Pokémon. Of course, I could have left it to the authorities but what kind of person would I be if I had done that? Then in my fourth year… Wow, my fourth year. Even I didn't believe I could make it as far as I did. Gary certainly didn't either. Once I gave it all up to become an explorer I thought my troubles would go as well. Those were supposed to have been the best years of my life. Most of them were. My time spent with her…

Ash stopped running for a second and grabbed the tree trunk nearest to him for support. Pikachu jumped to the branch above him to try and be as unobtrusive as possible. He could tell whenever Ash was thinking about something painful and that's the only way to describe yesterday. It even brought tears to _his_ eyes whenever he thought about it. With the bond the two of them had he could feel some of what Ash felt sometimes. More often than not it was wonderful to know that he and his master were as close as they were. But at times like this, Pikachu wished to sever that part of their relationship.

With his breathing and thoughts back to normal Ash started to run again. "Come on, Pikachu. You heard them. They're heading for Pewter. We'd better go pick up Brock quickly."

"Pika," replied his only true friend in the world.

Trees sped by him as he ran through Viridian forest as fast as his legs could take him. Pikachu, running at his side, stayed in the same quiet consciousness as his master. For hours they ran, both very physically fit, until they arrived at an old favorite campsite of his.

Ash stopped in front of the fire pit and looked down at Pikachu. "We'll stay here for the night, okay Pikachu?"

"Pii."

Searching through his bag Ash came up with a small hatchet and some matches to start a fire. Pikachu made a few noises asking for some ketchup to snack on for the night instead of the usual meals as a treat. Ash continued searching but couldn't find any ketchup. "I don't have any ketchup with me right now. Maybe once we catch up with Brock he'll be able to give you some."

"Pi-Pikachu!"

At the mention of his old friend Ash's spirits were raised. Maybe Brock could help him forget. He so needed to forget. Ash laid his head back against a tree trunk and fell asleep with Pikachu on his stomach trying to comfort him.

(Break)

Ash woke up in the middle of the night to a rustling sound in his campsite. Careful not to give away that he was awake he looked over to where he heard the noise. To his left there was someone going through his pack, picking out the food from his clothes and pokedex, among other things, with the person's back to him. Slowly, he poked Pikachu awake and gave him the 'be quiet' sign. Ash pointed to the someone and mouthed the words Thunder Wave.

Paralyzing electricity lit up the campsite and hit the intruder square in the back. Ash leapt up and went to face this person who had dared to try and steal from him. He removed the person's hood and instead of finding the hard planes of a man he was surprised to find the soft features of a woman. An extremely gorgeous one at that. Golden blonde hair spilled out behind her down the length of her back. Brilliant blue eyes regarded him not with fear but with contempt. Her appearance was raggedy, but the way she held herself made her beautiful even though she was covered in grime.

"Who? Who are you?" stammered Ash. For, this was the most stunningly beautiful woman he had ever seen and he was having trouble forming thoughts in his head.

"Why do you need my name?" she said in a throaty voice as she spat in his face. "You're just going to try and rape me like everyone else. You've already got me so that I can't move. Well? Just hurry and get it over with. You won't be the first one."

Completely stunned and at a loss for words Ash could only look at the astonishing woman in shock as spittle dribbled down his face. Pikachu finally got him to speak with a little jolt to his ankle.

"Ow! What? No, no I'm not going take advantage of you."

"Then why," began the woman, actually more like a girl now that Ash thought about it, no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, "am I being held against my will?"

Ash looked over at her dumbfounded, "You were trying to rob me."

"Oh." she smiled at him and his heart leapt into his throat. "Well that explains it." Her face lost all traces of happiness and she said, "Now let me go!"

Ash stared right into her eyes for a few tense seconds as she stared back at him. Then, Ash burst out laughing.

"Hahahaha!" tears streamed down his face as Ash collapsed onto the ground holding his sides shaking with laughter. The girl looked down at him perplexed, confusion getting through her anger.

"What? What's so funny?"

Ash finally calmed down enough to answer her, "It's just that, you, you can't seem to make up your mind can you? First you think I'm going to rape you. Then you think you did nothing wrong and to top it off, you're happy, angry and confused in a matter of seconds. You seem to have more troubles than I do."

The girl's lips flitted into a half-smile and she quipped, "Yeah. I guess that is a little funny if you're not me. Or it could be depressing, depending on how you look at it."

"My name's Ashura." Ash said as he riffled through his bag for a paralyze cure. As he said his name he realized that he's still not used to calling himself by his full name. I guess being Ash for so long has made it unusual for anyone other than my mom to call me that.

"My name is… It's Valdera." Ash noticed the hesitation before she gave her name but didn't say anything.

"Well that's a pretty name."

"Of course," she replied as she gave him a devilish smile with a twinkle in her aqua eyes. "It goes with my pretty body."

Ash gave her a small drop of the paralyzing cure with a smile, "Very modest of you. Sorry about this but…" Ash took out a line of rope from his pack and tied Valdera's hands behind her to her ankles. "I can't take any chances with the Rocket army nearby."

Valdera's eyes gleamed malevolently at him with a slight red tinge to her cheeks as he tied her up, but surprisingly looked terrified at the mention of Team Rocket.

"What's Team Rocket doing with their army here? Aren't they stationed in Viridian? We're closer to Pewter right now."

Ash, surprised by her knowledge of Team Rocket, didn't let on anything, "They're making a large push for world domination with new weapons. I'm out here collecting a few of our own to bring back to the League." Ash stopped there, knowing he had said too much, but he thought of a way to turn it to his advantage. "So now that you know why I'm here, what about you?" Ash stoked up the fire and lay back down.

Valdera moved, trying to get into a comfortable position, and decided that Ash would make a good headrest. Ash stiffened when she lay down, but didn't move. Slowly, when she didn't appear to be doing anything dangerous, Ash relaxed. "I'm a nomad," she finally responded. "I go where I want to go. Sometimes I meet good people; sometimes I meet the wrong people. I'm always fighting, fighting hunger, thirst, loneliness," a pause, "men."

"What about your family?" Ash knew he shouldn't dig but he was naturally curious.

"Don't ask again because you won't get an answer. What about you? Do you have a girl?" Ash didn't answer. "She left you right?" He looked down at her in surprise. "I could feel it in here." She hit Ash in the stomach. "You really stiffened up when I mentioned… oops."

Ash jumped up so quickly when she had hit him that Valdera's teeth clicked together. "How did you get out of the ropes!" he exclaimed.

She shrugged, "Most of the gangs like to tie their victims up and leave them like that. I've had a lot of practice getting out."

"Well how am I supposed to keep you secure?" shouted Ash, exasperated.

"You mean," she assumed in surprise, "you haven't taught your Pikachu how to make electrical ropes?" Valdera placed two fingers in her mouth and whistled. A rustling sound came to their right as a Pikachu walked into the site. "This is my Pikachu. I call her My Pet. She's the reason why I said you'll _try_ and rape me earlier."

Ash's Pikachu looked over at the new Pikachu in shock. "Pi pi pika pi chu chaaa!"

"Pikachu," whispered Ash dangerously. "I heard that. We don't know these people yet. So you'll have to keep that thing of yours out of sight for now."

"Chaaa." Pikachu responded sadly.

"So," began Valdera, "you have the bond. Pikachu is your only Pokémon, yes?" Ash nodded. "Have you taught it moves you don't think any other Pikachu has?" He nodded again. "We are more alike than you think, Ashura."

"Well it's going to be daylight soon and I have to get to Pewter before the Rockets do. So, I'll be off." Ash began to gather up his things including the useless rope into his pack.

"Can… Can I come with you?" Ash looked down to see Valdera on her knees with a once white skirt peeking through her cloak and felt sorry for the fierce girl. "I don't like Team Rocket and I've always wanted to see Pewter again."

Ash thought back to the conversation he had had with Gary before he left. Even people I can't stand. Gary's voice echoed through his head, 'If you think they'll have the power, bring them along.' Valdera was right; they did seem to have a lot in common. He figured he was guaranteed the elemental power of electricity and she seemed quite attuned to her Pikachu so, "All right. You can come along. Just so long as you don't steal my stuff." Plus it would keep her from coming back to filch his stuff when she wasn't traveling with him.

This time it was she who laughed and he felt like the sound would carry him to the skies above.

(Break)

After another hour's hard run, with Valdera and her Pikachu unexpectedly keeping up, the teams arrived at Pewter City. Right on their trail, the Rocket army destroyed a path through the forest with Grass Masters removing tree after tree.

Ash gazed back trying to determine how far away the army was. "We don't have much time." He glanced over at Valdera who hadn't looked away from him since they reached the city. "We should get over to Pewter City gym while we still can. When we get Brock we'll go though the teleporter at the Pokémon Center."

"We should get moving then." With that, they ran in between the buildings, sticking to the shadows, trying not to be seen. "So who is this Brock?"

"He's the leader of the Pewter City gym." He was surprised that she didn't know, with everything else she seemed to know that the public didn't. "He uses rock Pokémon and his favorite is his Onix."

Pewter City gym came up quicker than usual today, thought Ash; it must be the companionship of a beautiful woman that made the run a little less agonizing. What? Am I falling for her already? I can't. I just can't. It's too soon. I haven't even dealt with that pain yet. Was it only just the day before yesterday…?

Ash ripped open the door to the huge rock building that housed Brock the gym leader. Inside there were no lights on anywhere and the gloom was ominous. "Hello?" Ash called out. "Brock, are you there?"

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu hopped down from Ash's shoulder and onto the rocky, uneven ground. Pikachu lit up the building with Flash but it appeared as empty in light as in darkness.

A voice from behind startled him for a second before he recognized Valdera, "Ashura. He's not here." She sighed and went outside. Moments later she ran back in so quickly that she slammed into Ash who hadn't moved. "We're in deep shit. Team Rocket's right outside."

Ash only nodded absently at her. He had been hoping that his best friend could have been here. With the Rockets coming he knew he wouldn't be able to search Brock's second house where he lived with his family still. He really needed someone to confide in.

"How do we get out of here?" Valdera's voice snapped him out of his brooding. "There are about thirty Rocket grunts and five guys dressed in blue cloaks out there. Do you know why they're wearing those cloaks?"

Ash laughed softly, "It means they're making it easy for us. Right, Pikachu?"

"Pika"

"Valdera, get your Pikachu ready as well. We're going to fight our way out of here."

"Damn it, Ashura! Why are you keeping me in the dark?" Ash, shocked, didn't know what she meant. He thought that he'd told her everything. Why was she mad at him? "What do those blue cloaks mean? I'm not going to fight the unknown. Doing so is a fast way to die."

I guess I haven't told her everything. "The blue cloaked men can use the elements like Pokémon." She gave him a look like she didn't believe him in the least. "You'd better believe it, Valdera. Life will make much more sense if you just trust me on this one. They're the new weapons I told you about before. Luckily though they thought they were going to be fighting rock type Pokémon so they brought Water Masters. I hope I don't need to tell you how that will result in their downfall."

Valdera still seemed to be skeptical but he supposed she understood. "Just to make sure, do we fight on their terms or ours?"

"We fight on our terms of course." Ash took a peek out the window. "We'll sneak out the back then come around behind them. Don't touch the grunts; I'll take care of them later. Concentrate only on the Pokémon Masters."

"Pokémon Masters?" she asked quizzically.

"They're the ones in the colored cloaks. It's what they've named themselves. They aren't always blue; the color just corresponds to their element."

"Oh."

"Let's go."

The pair of them crossed the field of battle in the gym to the back exit while choosing their Pokémon.

"Pikachu, I choose you."

"Come, My Pet."

As they sprinted around the corners they could hear numerous voices calling out to each other. When they made it back to the front of the building, up ahead of them, with their backs turned away, were the Rockets.

"You said you could fight?" he posed to Valdera. She gave him a look and nodded. "All right, the Pikachus will take out two to each side, and we'll take out the one in the middle. Got it?" The two of them waited for a good chance to strike. It's like the calm before the storm pondered Ash. What a terribly cliché thing to think right now was his final thought before, "Now!"

The Water Masters heard the shout and twisted around to see what was coming. The Pikachus worked seamlessly together. Agility, Slash, Thunder, Headbutt and a few of Ash's Pikachu's fighting techniques took out four of the Rockets without one able to do anything before they fell.

Ash ran with incredible speed past the middle Pokémon Master and hit him backwards in the small of his back towards Valdera. The Master arched his back and Valdera slammed a double fisted jackhammer into the man's stomach.

The man dropped to the ground, coughing up huge amounts of blood, appearing to be dying on the spot. Contrary to how he looked, and before Ash could deliver the final blow to the back of the neck, the man withdrew his Pokéball.

"Go, Wartortle!"

A large blue turtle with white fins as ears popped out to defend its fallen master. Ash took no chances and jumped right on to the turtle's shell. The two of them fell to the ground with Ash ending up on top. With his hands grasping either side of the Wartortle's neck, Ash twisted. Snap! Silence, then:

"Nooo! Wartortle!" agonized the Water Master. "How could you, you bastard! I'll kill you! Water Gun!"

The master raised his hands and jets of water came flying out of his hands and hit Ash in the chest hard. Just as suddenly as it started, it ended. The man's hands stopped spraying and his cloak dissipated.

"What!" The former Water Master backed into a wall, "How? Giovanni help me! Giovanni!" The man broke down right there in front of the wall and sobbed helplessly. Shouts from around the corner from the grunts reached Ash and Valdera.

"I killed… A Pokémon." Ash was looking down at his bloodied hands. "I. Killed. A Pokémon." He stared up at Valdera with an expression of complete and utter helplessness and horror at what he'd done. Ash collapsed to the ground in pain from something he thought he'd never do in his lifetime.

Valdera frowned at him and picked him up by the shoulders, knocked him against the wall and, while holding him up with only one hand, slapped him in the face. "You'll kill a lot more before you die yourself, Ashura. This is war. It's kill or be killed, simple as that. Now, I don't know why that man could use a Pokémon elemental attack, but maybe if we bring him to your superiors they could find out?"

Ash gazed up at her once more, this time with a blank expression on his face. He surveyed the area and found four dead masters taken out by the Pikachus, who were now standing beside each other not far away, an unconscious former Water Master and thirty Rocket grunts only a few seconds away heading in their direction. "Superiors? What superiors?" he did agree though that the man should be brought to the scientists for examination and placed him on his shoulders. "The teleporter is at the Pokémon Center which is to the south of here."

Running as fast as they could, the two of them hopped the wall blocking their path to the Pokémon Center with the Rockets hot on their heels.

"There it is," pointed out Valdera. "We'd better get moving though, they're gaining." They got inside.

"This stupid cry-baby Rocket, he's just realized what we're up to and he doesn't want to go." Ash looked around the Pokémon Center. "Everybody out now! Team Rocket is coming!"

"Too bad for him. I'll get the door to the teleporter." said Valdera as the Pokémon Center cleared out around them.

Ash called out to his Pikachu, "I need a time delayed bomb. Can you make one with as much time as we have left? Give us, say, thirty seconds."

"Pika," acknowledged Pikachu.

"Time delayed…" started Valdera.

"No time," interrupted Ash. "I'll set the teleporter. Just stand inside. You ready little buddy? Good."

Ash set the teleporter to teleport them to the Indigo Plateau public Teleporter whilst Pikachu created his bomb. When they both finished, the two of them stepped inside the cramped teleporter. Ash's face went red as his entire body came in contact with, and was pushed against, Valdera's because of the Rocket. He looked away from her face as she stared up at him.

"Time to go," stated Ash. Pikachu sprinted into the teleporter.

"So, where are we going?" inquired Valdera.

The two of them teleported to the public teleporter just as Pikachu's bomb ripped apart the entire Pokémon Center and the thirty Rocket grunts trying to get inside. The Pokémon League, and the public, would remember the bomb as the first major assault against Team Rocket as well as the day the Dark Wars started.

(Break)

Three people and two Pokémon stepped out of the public teleporter at the Palace of the Elite Four outside the front door. Granted, one of them didn't exactly step out and was being carried by the other man. The first thing Ash saw when he stepped out was the five hundred guards that surrounded the machine, prepared to defend against anything.

When the guards recognized one of their own inside, they relaxed visibly. Apparently they don't relish in the idea of a direct assault on them. That's good, reflected Ash. I wouldn't want soldiers who want a war on my side. Ash shifted the weight on his shoulders to a better position. Man, this guy is heavy. No wonder he could still move after that blow Valdera gave him to his gut. She was incredibly strong. She held me up with one hand! Speaking of Valdera. Ash watched as all the guards followed their progress to the doors. Or more precisely, their eyes were following Valdera.

"Shouldn't you people be watching the teleporter?" demanded Ash. All the heads instantaneously snapped back to the teleporter. "Better." Valdera was looking at him again, he could feel her gaze on his face, and it was beginning to make him a little shifty. He directed his voice to her; "Nobody will hurt you here."

"I know," she replied, "but maybe not for the reason you're thinking of." She hooked her arm around his waist and pulled him closer. "This is just to enforce that train of thought."

Ash felt nervous with her this close but didn't mind the feel of it at all. "You." Ash pointed to a guard. "Go and get Lord Garick. I'll need to speak with him." The guard went off in a sprint to the Palace in search of Gary.

"You're in direct contact with Lord Garick?" asked Valdera. "You don't have to go through any superiors or anything?"

"I am my own superior. There is no one higher than myself really." Ash didn't want to tell her this, but better she heard it from him than from someone else. "If I wanted the title of League Master, all I'd have to do is ask Gary for it. He can't refuse me. I stepped down after I had beaten him to become an explorer."

Valdera's hand tightened on his waist with every word as she began to understand the real reason as to why no one would dare try to hurt her while she was here. Power is everything it seemed.

As they walked through the doors Ash noticed movement everywhere. Nothing alive wasn't running everywhere with worried expressions. An elevator to the left opened up to reveal Gary in a gray League Master's cape with Bill at his side. As they spotted him Gary walked towards him, his cape rippling behind him as if it were alive.

"Back from Pewter already?" questioned Gary. "Did you meet up with Team Rocket or Brock?"

"Maybe we should talk privately." Ash glanced over at Valdera. Gary noticed the meaning and told Bill to take the girl to a guest room with guards posted at the door. Guiding Ash to an empty room at the end of the hall Gary sat him down on the chair next to his. Ash dropped the Rocket on the floor in front of him and leaned back.

Gary waited a few moments and when his patience wore out he told Ash what was on his mind, "What's with the girl, what happened at Pewter and, I can't believe there's a third problem, where the hell is Brock!?"

Gary's voice had been steadily rising and Ash gave soothing gestures in his direction. "First of all, the girl's no problem. Her name's Valdera and I found her on the way to Pewter City. She tried to rob me." Gary attempted to interrupt but Ash continued over him. "That Pikachu she has is almost as powerful as mine and anything close to me will definitely gain the elements." He looked Gary in the eyes. "You did say anyone."

"I did indeed," nodded Gary. "What about Pewter?"

"With Pewter there is a problem. I managed to get the people in the Pokémon Center out before I blew it up," Gary's mouth dropped at that, "but even if they warned everyone in Pewter of the coming attack I doubt many will survive." Ash had to pause before he could go on. Killing just didn't seem right to him. "Pewter's lost. They'll head to Cerulean next but it'll take them a while to get there via Mount Moon. Brock wasn't there. I couldn't find the time to search for him thoroughly before we came in contact with five water type Pokémon Masters."

"Shit!" exclaimed Gary. "Are you all right?"

"Yes. Seems they were looking for Brock as well, so Valdera and I had the type advantage. Water doesn't fare too well against electricity as you know." Ash jabbed his head in the direction of the Rocket on the floor, "He was a Water Master."

Gary checked out the former master, "What do you mean, was?"

"I…" Ash broke down, "I killed his Pokémon!" The floodgates opened as all the pain he felt before this started combined with the realization of what he'd done crashed down on him. "Valdera says that, 'it's war, it's kill or be killed' but," he sobbed, "I just can't live like that! Sure, I can kill anonymous people who would kill me in a blink, but Pokémon! Pokémon are my friends, Gary, just about the only friends I have left." With his head in his hands he only felt Gary sit down beside him and rub his back in a gesture of comfort. Ash looked up at Gary with his tear stained, blood shot eyes. He had never considered Gary as a best friend, but in a world gone insane anything's possible.

Gary sat with Ash for a few more moments before getting up. "I guess it wasn't a bad idea to blow up the Pokémon Center in Pewter. Now the Rockets can't get as far as they could with a teleporter. I'll leave you here alone to get through this. When you're ready you can leave to wherever you want to next, I recommend Cinnabar. Don't worry about Pallet, I'm taking care of it. I still want you for this mission. I'll take the former Master to Bill for analysis to see if we can learn any weaknesses other than severing their link to their Pokémon…"

With that final thought Gary picked up the Rocket and left Ash alone with Pikachu to drench in his emotions.

End of Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 02, Alone

_**Ash's Dark War**_

By Unknown Bird

Ace Sanchez's Pokemon Master, please read his story before you read mine. I don't want to ruin it for anyone.

Note: Pokemon and its associated characters are copyright by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc, and 4Kids Productions. Valdera is owned by Ace Sanchez.

Chapter 2 – Alone

Ash stepped out of the room Gary had left him in refreshed and hungry. His first thought though, surprisingly, was of Valdera. Still, I think I should go get something to eat before I collapse. I haven't eaten in over a day. So, Ash traveled by elevator down to the cafeteria. How ironic, I'm the most powerful man in the world and yet I still have to eat with all the other people in the Palace when I'm not ordering from my apartments. Oh well, at least it's a nice place to eat.

The cafeteria in the Palace is nothing to scoff at. High arching ceilings are the most memorable things you see when you first walk in. As the only ceiling open to all professional painters in the palace, painters from all over the world came to leave their mark on the Palace. Gigantic white pillars covered in plaster vines colored green go from the marble floor up to the ceiling giving the hall an aura of calm and serenity. Tables made of marble seemed to grow from right out of the floor along with the benches made of the same material. A small fountain illustrating what was believed to be the original Elite Four stood near the center. Ash wasn't necessarily speaking the truth. He didn't have to eat with the people as there was a mounted dais for all eight gym leaders and himself when they were not eating with the League Master himself. The two spots in the middle that were slightly above the four spots to the left and right were to denote that the title of League Master belonged to two people and not one. Gary takes the seat on the left while Ash takes the one on the right. There's a saying that went around once the two chose their spots that Ash had become Gary's right hand man. Others say that once Ash took the right side the marble workers in the Palace moved his spot up an inch.

So many rumors. I am definitely not Gary's right hand man, just his friend, and my spot is not higher than his. People just love to gossip. I wonder what they're gossiping about today.

Ash picked up his tray, got his food, and found a spot at an almost empty table. The other two men at his table gave him a look then went back to their meals. "So," began Ash, "what's the word of mouth today in the Palace?"

One man, a heavyset man who appeared to work in general maintenance, pointed his chopsticks at Ash and spoke up first. "You're back. That is the word of mouth at the moment. You left early yesterday morning and you came back with some blonde bitch on your arm today."

"Blonde bitch?" a look of incredulous disbelief crossed Ash's face. "She's been here no more than two hours. What makes you say she's a bitch?"

"She was escorted to her room by Bill," this time it was the other man who responded, "and the moment she got in she locked her door. She's got about half the male populous of the palace wanting to get a look at her when they hear the rumors yet she doesn't even open the door to a room service knock. Some of those knocks are even from people who do room service, such as myself!"

"What do you guys think of the war and Giovanni's new weapons? You must have all heard about it by now." He wanted to find out the public's reaction to this sort of news, as it can only get worse. The younger scientists in the room who heard the report must have spread the news by now.

"No one is taking the news well. We've had record sick leaves today. Regular maintenance of the Palace will be lacking for the time being, but we'll pull through. I'm the manager of most of the staff at the Palace, and I know we have enough to get along for now, but not if Team Rocket starts trying to bust the place up. Then we'll need a little more than regular maintenance done, and we don't have enough people for that." That joke got a nice chuckle out of Ash, and his laugh put the other two men a little more at ease with him.

"Me and Jim here we've been friends at the Palace since I started to work here. Henry's the name by the way." Henry provided his hand and Ash shook it then Jim's in turn. "We've seen it all and heard it all. Since I'm in room service I'm able to hear more than other folks and I've known that Team Rocket would do something at sometime. It was inevitable so now that its happened it won't stop me from doing my job."

"Well Henry, Jim, I wish more of the staff at the Palace could be like you two. Now if you'll give me a moment I'd like to finish my meal."

"But you haven't even started," said Jim.

Ash ignored him, picked up his chopsticks, and, instead of picking up his food, shoveled it into his mouth. Taking only five minutes to finish off a plate that any normal man would take twenty to eat, Ash put his chopsticks down in content. "Oh, that was good stuff. The Palace always treats me right whenever I'm here."

Henry looked at Ash dumbfounded trying to find words to describe what he'd just seen. Instead he posed a question, "Ash. You are League Master, not Gary. Instead you've chosen a life of exploration. You tried only twice to become League Champion when sometimes it takes other people decades to make it to the Elite Four. You did it when you were thirteen. Most people who want to become Pokémon trainers get their first Pokémon at ten. What I'm trying to get at here is what is it about you that makes you so different? I mean, we all know that you trained harder than anyone else, but training only gets you so far." The man stopped there for a moment to check if he was offending Ash in any way. Relieved that he wasn't being rebuked he continued. "Your power is undeniable, but the world wonders why. Do you know?

His mood suddenly darkened, Ash did not answer the man for quite some time. It's not his fault, he mused, the man is just curious. Anything I say now will spread through this Palace like wildfire. In the end he decided a version of the truth was the best thing. "Well when I was young and the Pokémon League Championships were coming up I would always feel this itch in my head. Something there was telling me that that was where I belonged. So, I read everything there was about Pokémon and when I got Dexter I used him as much as I could."

"But everyone does that!" interrupted Jim. "Even I dreamt of being League Champion and felt the itch. It's almost a genetic trait in all of us by now. Where did your, for lack of a better word, genius come from?"

Ash had tried but evading the question with a half answer wasn't getting past these guys. "Well if it was anything, I'd have to say it was my first Pokémon. Without Pikachu I wouldn't be here now. You've all seen how powerful he is. Right little buddy?"

"Pika!"

"Indeed," the two men nod as if the answer was something so obvious they should have known without asking. "The reason I ask is that with the war coming I just wanted to know whether we had a chance of winning. We don't have many people here so the resolve and power of those we do have are the only things that will save us. I wanted to know where you stood."

"What time is it anyways?" Ash had wanted to get to Cinnabar before nightfall so that he could spend the night there on the island paradise.

"Oh, it's almost eight pm."

"EIGHT PM!?" The roar he made with that shout echoed throughout the entire cafeteria and reverberated back at him off all the walls. Ash didn't take the time to put away his tray and sprinted out the archway at top speed. Pushing people out of his way he stopped every male he saw and asked the same question, "Where is the bitchy blonde?" He finally got an answer after the fourth time he asked someone. Not wasting any time Ash got on an elevator to the tenth floor of the Palace where most of the guest rooms are bunched together.

Getting to Valdera's floor had been easy but getting to her room would be a tougher challenge. The hallway around her room was jam-packed with men. A minute smile touched his lips even as his sense of urgency to flee impaired his judgment. An idea fashioned in his head and he checked the distance between the two walls. He leapt and twisted upside down to the ceiling. Splitting his legs, his face inches above the heads of everyone on the floor, Ash had one leg on one side of the wall and one leg on the other side. Unable to not see the hilarity of this situation Ash allowed himself a small laugh as he _walked_ to Valdera's room. Once there he flipped to the floor, waved to the other men and knocked on the door.

"Valdera," he shouted, "it's me, Ashura." The door opened quickly and Ash's shirt was grabbed aggressively. He was pulled promptly into the room as the door slammed shut behind him.

"What took you so long?" she practically shouted. Those guys must have really infuriated her. "Those vultures have been trying to get a glimpse of me for the last hour or more."

Ash gave her a broad grin and took her hand off of his shirt. The smell of her drifted to him and he noticed she had cleaned up. "You mean you don't like the attention?"

She grabbed his shirt again and pinned him up against the wall. "No, I don't." She looked him right in the eye trying to see whether he feared her. Ash couldn't stand the frostiness of her gaze and forced his eyes to rove downwards, to her heaving breasts now in full display with the removal of her cloak. The smile that Ash had worn was now copied ten fold on the face of Valdera. "But some attention," she said noticing where his eyes stopped, "from some people, I do enjoy. Immensely."

She removed her hand from his shirt and grabbed his chin. Maneuvering his face up until he was looking right in to her eyes again she moved closer. Ash, with his back against the door, couldn't move.

Maybe you don't want to move, he thought to himself. Why would you refuse this goddess? Her lips made contact with his and he thought that they tasted like strawberries and cream. Some subconscious recollection of that taste forced the fog from his mind as he thought about what he was doing. I only met this girl yesterday as she was trying to steal my stuff! Pushing her away, he sagged to the floor in a daze.

"What's wrong?" asked Valdera as she dropped down with him. "Hey! C'mon Ashura I'm not that bad a kisser am I?"

"No, it's not that," he replied. "It's just that…"

"She hurt you that bad?" Ash could only nod. "Well, let me help you." With that she forced herself on him. Before Ash could do anything Valdera's face was all over his while her hands were trying to rip his shirt off.

"Mfaldera!" Ash leaped up and tore across the room to the opposite end of the entrance hall. He looked down at himself and saw that his shirt was almost ripped to shambles while the drawstring on his pants was undone. When did she have time to do all that? The woman was hiding extra hands somewhere! "What the hell, Valdera!"

"I know you want me, Ashura." Ash could not believe how seductive her voice sounded in that instant. If nothing else he knew those rapists chose the right woman. On her hands and knees she persisted as she crawled closer to him, "I can see it in your eyes when you look at me. Take me, Ashura. I don't bite, hard."

He actually had to restrain himself from accepting. After all, he had never seen such a woman, never mind have her offer herself to him. In his most soothing and unsexual voice he could muster he asked her, "Why?"

"What does it matter why?" was her answer. "I'm here, you're here. We're in a cramped guest room and look, you're half undressed already." She slid one of the straps of her shirt down to the side of her arm. "It won't take long for me to get undressed with you."

All of Ash's moral resolve was waning at this crucial moment and he was glad he was given a chance to rest his head before this encounter. Taking everything he had left he gave her his final verdict. "No."

"No?" she appeared taken aback. "No!" Her faced contorted into a rage he had never seen before. "No one refuses me! Never in my life! You'll pay for this, Ashura. But after that, I'll have my way with you." A change seemed to come over her; she actually looked pityingly on him. "You'll learn to want me. And you'll learn to forget whoever it was just as fast." She paused to compose herself and looked at him curiously. "You obviously didn't come here to get laid, unlike every other male in this place, so, why are you here?"

"Well I _was_ here to take you with me for a trip. It seems that won't be possible anymore."

"I'm coming." She checked to see that he wouldn't argue then continued. "I don't want to be cooped up in this place anyways. So, could you please tell me where we're going this time before we go?"

"Cinnabar Island. We're going to go pick up Blaine and Lara Larame."

"Who are they?"

"Blaine's the leader of the Cinnabar Island gym and his favorite Pokémon is his Magmar. Lara is a Rapidash racer who owns a giant farm near Fuchsia City. She's been visiting Blaine recently and I expect to find her on Cinnabar." Once again Ash didn't know why she didn't know these things. "Rockets shouldn't have been able to make it to Cinnabar yet, but it's easier to reach than Cerulean so we'll head there first."

"What about Pallet Town?"

Ash gave a small shudder inside at the thought of leaving his mother without him at her side. "Gary said he would take care of it. The Rockets don't appear to have moved south yet, but it's only a matter of time." I hope he knows what he's doing. Ash finally got his first view of Valdera's room without her blocking his vision. From the door it went straight to the living room, which was where he was right now leaning on the couch. To the left was the kitchen and through the door to the right was obviously the bedroom and bathroom. Probably where I should be right now, he thought wryly to himself.

Valdera seemed to notice she was still on the floor and stood up. "Shall we depart?" she finally said.

He looked over at her and smiled knowingly, "How do we get rid of the mass orgy in the hallway?"

"They're already gone. They heard some of my loud… noises that I was making and figured you… got me." She smiled coyly at him.

Ash shrugged, "As long as they're gone. First we have to go get my Pikachu. I left him in the room I was in to wait for me."

"What were you doing that took you so long?"

"I was just letting off a little steam."

"Ah. So that's why you don't want me at the moment. You're not _up_ for the challenge"

"What?"

"You know what I mean. Let's just get to the teleporter and go."

(Break)

Meanwhile, somewhere deep in the Palace of the Elite Four, Gary paced around his quarters deep in thought. The room wasn't small at all. Sometimes Gary would even have parties with hundreds of people just in this room. The furniture in his room was made of pure oak that was gilded with gold and silver and there were gold flecks inside the marble floor that shimmered whenever the lights hit it at the right angle. On one of those pieces of furniture, a large sofa, sat all four members of the Elite Four; Lance, Agatha, Bruno and Lorelei. They were sitting behind Gary as he paced back in forth.

Lorelei, the Water and Ice master, was keeping her cool but she knew it wouldn't last long if this child master whom she'd come to respect as her better wouldn't hurry up and tell them why they'd been summoned. She knew Gary didn't deserve the title of League Master, but as a leader there was no doubt that he was the perfect choice. Gary knew so much about leadership that it was scary coming from a sixteen year old.

Bruno, the Fighting master, was on slow boil and was getting more anxious every minute. Gary still hadn't told them why they had been called into his room but there were rumors. War with Team Rocket was one of them, humans using Pokémon elemental attacks, another. We Elite Four know nothing about these rumors as we have been training deep in the palace, thought Bruno. There is no way any of this could have happened in the span of a week. We leave Gary in total control for seven days and look what happens.

Agatha, the Ghost and Poison master, was almost asleep from boredom and old age. She had lived for over a century and been a member of the Elite Four for over half of her life now, almost forty years longer than all the others, and she knew trouble when she saw it. Agatha could see the creases of worry on Gary's face and from the way he was pacing he himself didn't want to tell them the bad news he was burdened with. I have seen everything this world has to offer, she mused, and any news Gary has for us will not shock me. As a leader Gary is formidable, but he doesn't know how to handle his emotions. He is young still. He has not felt the pain of loss, the joy of love, or the helplessness of being near death.

Lance, the Dragon master and highest among equals in the Elite Four, followed Gary's movements with his eyes. Lance had always admired the way Gary could command an entire force of League soldiers one moment and the next come to this room and work on his studies. Lance placed his hand on Gary's schoolbooks that were on the table next to him and carefully lifted a sheet of paper out of one of the books. Advanced Calculus, he read. Well, Gary was not only an excellent strategist, but also a genius on top of that. When Gary had beaten him three years ago, Lance didn't know what to think. A thirteen-year-old had beaten his Pokémon into the ground and his first thought was that the League was going to crumble. However, Gary proved he could do the job and was actually more than suited. After three years under Gary the League had flourished into something it had not been in centuries: a power to be reckoned with.

Gary knew he had to tell them soon but he just didn't know how. So, he paced. Up one way and back the other way. One more lap he kept telling himself, one more lap and then I'll tell them. They are not going to like this. They are not going to like this at all. Think, Gary, think. There has to be a way of telling them without losing respect in their eyes. Think!

"Lord Garick!"

Gary didn't stop pacing as he responded, "What is it, Lance?"

"You're-you're glowing!" Gary looked up and saw all four of them staring at him open-mouthed. He peered down at himself and saw that he was indeed glowing a golden color and he was reflecting off the floor so the room shined even more than in sunlight. I'm brighter than even the sun! Gary wanted to test his new powers and tried to control the mass of energy inside of him. Sticking out his arm he focused the new feeling into the palm of his hand. A ball of golden light the size of a baseball rose up from his hand. Gary watched it quizzically as it quivered above his hand. Shimmering with strength, the ball of golden light shined for a full ten seconds before it collapsed on itself. Gary fell to the floor, exhausted, the first use of his powers leaving him completely drained.

"What the hell was that?" Lance rushed over to Gary's side and started shaking him. "Lorelei, get a doctor! Bruno, pick him up. We have to lie him down on the couch. Anyone here know what that ball of energy was?"

"He seemed to be pretty agitated by something," said Bruno. "Maybe this was it. I have never seen anything like this myself, have any of you?"

"In my visions I saw something like this," answered Agatha. "But I thought they were dreams. Humans gaining the elements. It is not a thing that should be unleashed unto this world. I may enjoy having the powers of my Ghost Pokémon at first, but what will happen after? Will men turn on men instead of using their Pokémon to battle? This is not a prospect on which I wish to dwell upon."

"Yes well you can dwell all you want, Agatha," Lance snapped at her harshly, "but right now we have an unconscious League Master and no idea why." The stress of maybe losing the leader and friend he'd had these past four years was beating him up inside. "What kind of attack did that look like? Electric?"

"I've seen a lot of Psychic Pokémon face my Fighting types, I know Psychic when I see it and that was a Psychic type attack." Bruno had placed Gary on to the couch the Elite Four had been occupying a few minutes ago and was looking at Gary's palm. "There's no mark or anything on him. All that's wrong is that we saw a golden aura surround him, a ball of golden light come out of his hand, which by the way, he looked as shocked as we were at seeing it so that must be the first time its happened, then the damn thing implodes in his hand and he faints on us."

Agatha gave Bruno the evil eye, "That's quite a bit that's gone wrong."

"I know!" shouted Bruno, laughing. "Right now I don't see anything we can do about it except wait for Lorelei to come back with the doctor. So for now I'm going to sit and do just that."

"Level headed as always Bruno. I believe I should go to the command center while you two stay with Gary." With that, Agatha left the room through the same door as Lorelei. Immediately after she closed the door it banged open again as the doctor finally arrived with Lorelei on his heels.

"Any change?" he asked.

"None so far," replied Lance. "He's still really out of it. I haven't seen him this deep in sleep since after his inauguration party. He ran around so much he passed out and didn't wake up for fourteen hours. The kid could never hold his emotions in check."

The doctor stopped examining Gary for a minute and looked over his glasses at Lance. "Are you trying to say you think he's been in the gym too long? No? I didn't think so. The Master has not left the Defense Control Room since we heard about Team Rocket."

"I don't think he got tired from working out but maybe from power. Too much power and he got overwhelmed. I've seen it happen. Pokémon who use rare candy and gain levels and new moves quickly don't get to learn just how powerful those moves are and go berserk the first time they use them." Lance picked out a couple words he hadn't expected to hear ever again. "You mentioned Team Rocket. I thought Ash had removed them from power. What has got Gary so jittery about them? I'm assuming that's why he brought us out of seclusion training, to tell us the trouble."

"You're probably right, Lance. It's not like its been kept secret. With one town already gone we couldn't just not let the public know. I know this is going to sound insane, but from what Lorelei told me on the way up here it won't sound as crazy as it would have a week ago. Humans are now gaining the elements just like Pokémon. There are people of all types. So far only Team Rocket has any of these elementals, but Gary has sent out Master Ash to collect all the Gym Leaders since they'll be the closest to their Pokémon."

Lance was not as shocked as he thought he'd be at this news. He had always thought himself to be very closely attuned to his body and his Pokémon and over the last few days he kept feeling as though he was merging with his Pokémon. Not in the sense that he was combining with his Pokémon but just like linking with them. He had thought that that was just the intensive training he had been doing but obviously it was something bigger than he thought. "So, have there been any Dragon elementals yet?" Lance grinned in spite of himself at the thought of being the only Dragon elemental.

Bruno seemed to catch his thought and grinned with him. "I don't think there's anyone else who even has a Dratini line that is as close to their dragon as you are Lance. So you might get away with it."

"Ahem," interrupted the Doctor, "we have a serious situation here. No, there have been no sightings of any Dragon elementals, or Pokémon Masters as Team Rocket calls them, and I'm sure you'll be the first, but that's not what I'm here for. This is the first account we have of someone from the League gaining the elements therefore I must know everything. Tell me exactly what happened here."

Bruno related to the doctor everything Lance, Agatha, Lorelei, and himself had witnessed while Gary was pacing and then the implosion of energy afterwards. "I believe it was a ball of Psychic energy, which is odd since Gary is more attuned to his Jolteon than to his Alakazam. All he has left is his Jolteon anyways. His Jolteon is like Ash's Pikachu. I always thought it odd that the two Champions from Pallet that were the same age also preferred the same type."

"Once again Bruno, this is not the time to go off topic about coincidences. The matter at hand is Gary and his element. So is he a Psychic or Electric Master?"

"I tell you it was…" Bruno started to say but Lance cut him off.

"Before you say that Bruno, feel it out. You say you've battled many Psychic-types before. Consequently you know what a Psychic attack feels like. I'm trying to feel this one out and I do feel some Psychic energy attached to his ball but more over, I feel electricity. I think that was an Electric attack designed to look like a Psychic attack. Or maybe the amount of brainpower it took for him to control his power leeched into his attack and it masked itself as Psychic energy. There could be a hundred reasons for the Psychic disturbance, but we don't know enough. I say he's an Electric Master."

"Yes, yes I feel it now." Bruno looked deep in thought as he went back to the memory of the attack. "Definitely Electric. I'm sorry I almost jumped to conclusions my friend."

Lance nodded his head to Bruno. "It's not a problem Bruno. In time, when he used his powers again, we would have known immediately that he was not using Psychic-type attacks." Lance looked around the room taking it all in. "Well. So this will be how the histories will write it. This room is quite the fitting place for the League Master to begin wielding the greatest power anyone could want."

"And to think, we will be mentioned in the histories as the first people to witness the coming of the League Masters." The doctor stood up and went to the door to Gary's chambers. "I guess we could put him in his bed for now. There's nothing I can do for him, as I don't really know what's wrong with him." Bruno placed Gary on his shoulders and carried him over to his bed. He lowered him slowly on to the luxurious four-poster canopy bed and as he was lowering him he noticed that Gary's hair had gone a little darker brown than it had been before the elements coalesced in him.

"Lance, come take a look at this," said Bruno. "His hair has changed color. See, he used to be like a dirty sort of brown and now it's like a chestnut brown."

"You're right," stated Lance. "Is it a side-effect of gaining the elements? Or did his hair get shocked along with the rest of his body?" Lance raked his fingers through his own matt black hair and sighed deeply thinking about all the trouble Team Rocket had caused already. "Well at least I know my hair can't get any darker. As for Gary, well it doesn't really matter does it? I mean, who cares if his hair goes black? It might even make the women swoon over him more." Lance paused and then grabbed a chair from the corner of the room and placed it beside Gary's bed. Lance sat down and held Gary's hand in a gesture of strength. "I'll stay with him until he comes around. He probably knows the most about what happened here since it happened to him." Lance, with his new vantage point, looked at Gary closely. Something about him was slightly askew, like the image in his head of what Gary should look like was different from what he looked like now. The change was so small though that it wasn't noticeable at all if you didn't look at Gary extremely closely.

Bruno glanced over at Lorelei before he spoke. "Lance." Lance looked up from his examination of Gary. "Maybe you should come with us and find out what's going on with the Rockets. With Gary out of commission you are in charge."

"Actually by law Ash Ketchum is in command if Lord Garick goes down."

"Master Ash left a few minutes ago on assignment from Lord Garick," said the Doctor. "So you really are in command at the moment, Lance." Unnoticed by the four other people in the room Gary's eyes had slowly come open and he was listening in to the conversation.

"I will not leave Gary's side for a command or anything. Agatha is now in charge. I will not leave my friend alone here while he's in pain."

"Oh, well actually there's no pain at all." Lance got up so quickly that he tripped over his chair and fell back, away from Gary. The doctor rushed to his side as Gary finally decided to join the conversation. "It seems I go unconscious for a couple of minutes, and you're already deciding who's going to take my place. Shows how much you care for me." Gary said this last with a wry smile getting the looks of horror he had expected from Lance and the other two Elites in the room. "Don't worry you guys, we're at war, everyone needs to know the chain of command. I don't know how Ashura will react to the idea of him being second in command, but he'll do the job if it's asked of him."

"Ashura? What has forced Ash to use that name?" Lorelei looked genuinely curious.

"I don't know exactly, but I believe he and Misty have had a falling apart. I don't understand why though. He shuts down whenever someone tries to broach the subject to him." Gary picked at the blankets under him as he thought about what could have made the lovey-dubiest couple in the whole world break-up.

"How is Ash taking this?" asked Bruno.

"He is quite moody at the moment. Sometimes he acts like his old self, but other times…" Gary trailed off trying to think of the best way to put it. "Other times, his eyes go blank, the air in the room feels darker, and he seems to withdraw into himself. He never actually does anything but it's as if his body and the world around him betrays him whenever he dwells on Misty. I've only been in a room with him once when this has happened and that was a couple days ago. He might be feeling better now with that blonde on his arm."

Lance gave Gary the old one-up eyebrow, "A blonde, eh?"

"Don't get any ideas, Lance," intervened the doctor. "She's already fallen head-over-heels for Ashura. Most of the males in the complex went to go see if they could check her out, but she wouldn't let anyone into her guest room. Ashura came to get her to accompany him on his mission and she pulled him in to her room where the men closest to the door heard her making some rather… hem… erotic sounds. And just before the two of them left the girl shouted some obscenity to the guards at the teleporter concerning that visit."

"Well good for Ash. He needed that," said Gary. "Now if only you could get a steady girlfriend, Lance. You should be a little more like old Bruno here and settle down to start a family."

Lance glanced at the people in the room then gave Gary a hard look. "I'm fine, Lord Garick. There's no need to rush anything. I'm quite happy with my promiscuous lifestyle."

"Well I guess we don't really need to get into Lance's love life." Gary glanced at the doctor. "I'm sure the good doctor has informed you of everything I wanted to inform you about before I… What did I do? All I remember is you telling me I'm glowing, Lance, and then I create this ball of energy in my hand."

"The energy you gathered in your hand stayed there for about ten seconds and then collapsed as you collapsed. We first thought you might have been a Psychic Master but then after further discussion we have concluded that you are an Electric Master. No doubt because of your affinity with your Jolteon." Lance smiled down at Gary. "Which gives me hope of being a Dragon Master."

"Ha! Oh, Lance. You really know how to make a guy laugh. Are you really that power hungry? You saw what that minor use did to me. What kind of power could a Dragon Master have anyways? The only notable Dragon-type attack is Dragon Rage. I wouldn't want to see what Dragon Rage would do to a human user."

"We'll see, Gary, we'll see." As Lance thought of the power something like the elementals could give him he practically drooled.

Agatha, back from the control room, walked calmly into Gary's bedchambers and found Gary beginning to sit upright. She saw a few other things that she found odd. Agatha cracked a smile that made her lose every crease and line and brightened her whole face. "My friends our time has come." Gary, Lance, Bruno, and Lorelei looked over at Agatha and saw that she was glowing a purple so deep as to be almost black. Then, one-by-one the rest looked down at themselves. Lorelei was glowing whitish-blue, Bruno was glowing maroon, and Lance was glowing deepest-blue. "It seems that the Elite Four do everything together. Come my friends, let us not make the same mistake that Gary did and just bask in the light of our power."

And that was what they did. For a few moments in time the Elite Four stood together and felt the deep wells of power within themselves. They did not try to control it or unleash it at anything but just looked deep within and touched and caressed their power in their minds. Looks of awe and joy crossed their faces.

"It seems they chose the right way to view their powers." Gary slumped in his bed as he watched the show. That was before he realized he could join them. He felt deep within himself and discovered his power just sitting there waiting for him. Gary joined his friends in their joy as he handled the power inside himself. He knew the moment he felt it that it was electricity inside and there was no greater feeling than knowing that it was all his. At that moment he knew he couldn't describe what it was inside of him, you had to experience it to know it. "The Rocket Masters have discovered a way of telling their powers apart immediately by wearing cloaks of the color corresponding to their element," he said. "I'll get the League seamstresses working on them right away."

"Cloaks you say?" asked Lorelei. "I don't think they're made of cloth." Lorelei focused tiny bits of her element around her and in her mind's eye pictured a cloak of whitish-blue that formed to her body. A vapor whirled around Lorelei and covered her from head to toe. When it had dissipated Lorelei was wearing a cloak the color of her element with the hood in the back down. It opened in the front and clasped at the neck. The others saw her new item of clothing and asked her how she did it. Once she had explained it to them the others all tried to repeat the process. Even Gary got out of bed to try it out.

A few moments later four new Masters had their cloaks on. Lance with his deepest-blue, Bruno with his maroon, Agatha with her darkest-purple, and Gary with his… gray.

The room went silent when they saw Gary's cloak. Gray, they all thought, what element is gray? "Is he a Rock Master?" whispered Bruno. "I thought we established he was an Electric Master."

"This, this isn't right!" Gary sounded half hysterical. "I pictured myself in a yellow cloak just like my element. How come I got gray!?"

"It isn't a mistake." From out of nowhere, without any warning, Professor Oak entered the room. He was in his usual scientist get-up with a few more gray hairs than usual though. "I heard you were unconscious and decided to check up on you. Going back to what I was saying, the elements have recognized you as the League Master. The color of League Master has always been gray to represent a status above others. Gray is a color, but it is also the absence of color as it is the closest color to the shade black. It represents that the wearer is together with everyone but also apart." Professor Oak placed an arm on Gary's shoulder and gave him the biggest grin Gary had ever seen from him. "It also signifies that you are the true League Master, not Ash." Gary couldn't help but return the grin.

"Professor Oak," Lance wanted to say his piece before Gary got his head too full of ideas, "are you sure that it's not just that he has been named League Master? Ash is the rightful Master and as far as we know he doesn't have his elements yet. What if he came back and decided he wanted to be League Master? Would the gray fade from Gary's cloak and transfer to Ash's?"

"I don't want to know the answer, but we must test this, Lance." Gary's grin had disappeared but he knew he must do this for the sake of keeping the League together. "As League Master I step down from the position and name Lance as my successor until such time as the rightful Master returns." Almost instantly Gary's cloak turned bright yellow and Lance's turned gray.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Gary. I know how much you want to be better than your rival. As League Master I step down from the position and return Gary to his position as appointed League Master." The colors switched back to the way they were and Gary sat back down on the bed.

"So, League Master," started Agatha. "What are your first orders for your first _Pokémon Masters_?" The grins returned to every face in the room, and Gary doled out the punishment for the Team Rocket rebellion.

End of Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 03, Another

_**Ash's Dark War**_

By Unknown Bird

Ace Sanchez's Pokemon Master, please read his story before you read mine. I don't want to ruin it for anyone.

Note: Pokemon and its associated characters are copyright by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc, and 4Kids Productions. Valdera is owned by Ace Sanchez.

Chapter 3 – Another

The rustle of five hundred heads turning at once in full armor is not a sound that you'd like to hear if you were an enemy. Luckily, thought Ash, I am on the right side of the teleporter. Too bad I'll have to cross over. There shouldn't be any Rockets on the other side of that gate anyways. Just a perfect island paradise. The perfect place to bring the perfect girl. Too bad I'm stuck with one who wants to make my life miserable.

Valdera had been quite unlike her extroverted self since the guest room debacle. She walked beside Ash, head down, without the glow that emanated from her that made her not just look beautiful but made you know without a doubt that she was beautiful. The guards noticed it as well. Most of them didn't look at Valdera but watched the teleporter like they were supposed to. It didn't seem to matter to Valdera as she shuffled slowly onward towards Cinnabar.

The silent pair reached the entrance arch to the teleporter and stepped inside. Valdera looked up at Ash with those wonderful aqua eyes that glinted with unshed tears. She opened her mouth as if to ask something but closed it shortly afterwards. Ash paid her no mind, entered the coordinates to Cinnabar into the computer, and waited for the machine to figure out how to do its job. Seconds before the computer teleported them, Valdera's head came up with a smile on her face, and the glow everyone remembered seeing on her.

"ASHURA IS A SEX MACHINE!" The teleporter activated before the guards could remove the stunned look on their faces or Ash could sputter out his denial. The two of them appeared inside the teleporter in the Pokémon Center at Cinnabar Island with Valdera giving Ash an innocent child-like grin while he was fuming. "How'd you like that? I didn't know what to say as we were leaving, you know, 'cause I wanted to make as big an exit as an entrance. I was thinking something along the lines of taking my shirt off and giving the guys something to brag about later, but I figured I owed you one for informing me about the Rocket army."

Ash's face didn't show any trace of amusement at Valdera's joke. "That wasn't funny." Valdera let the grin slip and pouted. "Don't give me that look. I know you don't mean it. You're still laughing inside." The pair stepped out of the teleporter with the Pikachus in between their feet. "God Valdera how could you be so childish!" Ash made a fist and punched the teleporter. "I mean, what you did back there was irresponsible, dangerous, and totally unbefitting a woman."

"You mean like that punch you just gave the teleporter?" Ash looked at her quizzically and she pointed up to a screen that said 'Out of Order' above the machine that just lit up. The punch Ash had given the teleporter had created a huge hole in the side. "God Ashura how could you be so childish? Now how are we supposed to get anywhere? I mean, what you did there was irresponsible, dangerous, and totally unbefitting a woman"

Ash looked completely mortified at what he had done. "Oh light, I can't believe I just did that." He paused for a moment, as if thinking of something very important. "You're wrong though. What I did was totally befitting a woman."

"Ha! That's a good one, Ashura."

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu agreed wholeheartedly.

"Hey did you notice anything weird about this place?" Something slightly askew had been tickling the back of Ash's mind but he couldn't figure it out. "I haven't heard anything from below. Where is everyone?" A large booming noise was all the warning they had before Ash and Valdera were slammed back violently against the wall as a concussion force hit near the Pokémon Center.

Valdera tried to get up but the shaking building kept her from reaching her feet. Ash leapt up in synchronization with his Pikachu. The two landed on their feet with one hand on the floor to balance them. "Wait here," he said to Valdera. "I'll go see what's going on out there." Faster than Valdera could reply, with Pikachu right on his heels, he bolted down the stairs, swung around the railing, and dove out the door.

Outside, everything was peaceful and tranquil. Ash took one look around and couldn't figure out at that moment why the ground in front of the Pokémon Center looked like it had been hit by napalm. Given that there was no danger at the moment he called Valdera out of the Center to join him. When she reached him she took a glance around and couldn't find anything as well.

"What do you think hit us?" asked Ash.

"Whatever it was, I don't believe it was Team Rocket," she responded. "Or at least this time." She stepped to the middle of the blast radius and tried to imagine where whatever it was that tried to kill them came from. "It could have come from the volcano over there. It does look like the only way to hit us at this angle would be from above."

"Cinnabar Island's volcano has been inactive for thousands of years now. There's lava at the top, sure, but it's not going to erupt, there's no pressure. Besides how could all the people have run from the island without anyone at Headquarters knowing about it?" Ash was having a hard time thinking about that one too. How could Headquarters not know about several thousand people leaving in the span of two days? Team Rocket might have been able to bring a few personnel over to Cinnabar before going public. It would make sense since this would be the only place a small contingent of Rockets could do any major damage. "I think Team Rocket was here. They may have sent an advance group."

Valdera contemplated that notion on her own for a while before speaking her mind. "If Team Rocket did come here first, what did they do? What could they have done with only a few people since an army would be detected?"

It took Ash a second, but when he made the connection it seemed so obvious. A look of complete distress and alarm crossed his face. Valdera noticed and tilted her head sideways in silent questioning. "Come on!" he shouted. He grabbed Valdera and darted towards the volcano. "Apparently neither of our brains are working if we couldn't figure out the answer to that right away. We were both in Pewter when they went searching for Brock. They weren't here to destroy the city! They were here to get Blaine!"

Dodging buildings while trying to reach the volcano, Ash, Valdera, and their Pikachus sprinted past more scorch marks and sometimes puddles built up inside of buildings. Valdera couldn't help but notice that some of the scorches appeared as new as the one that hit the Pokémon Center. That reminded her, "Ashura that still doesn't explain what the hell shot at us back at the teleporter."

Ash skidded to a dead stop. "You're right. Maybe we shouldn't run head long into the unknown."

"I believe I said something like that in Pewter."

"Well yes, but that's not the point. What would be shooting giant fireballs at us?"

"Fire Pokémon Masters?"

"Could be, but why would Team Rocket send Fire Masters to go up against a Fire-type gym leader? No, it doesn't make sense. Giovanni is smarter than that. He would have sent his Water Masters since they would be the most effective against Fire-type Pokémon. They must have made the puddles in the buildings and the scorch marks must be Blaine's Pokémon."

"If that's true then why are there still fireballs exploding in the city?"

"Uh, well. The battle is probably still going on and those fireballs are just errant attacks."

"That may be a good theory, but I have one last question." Valdera pointed to the sky in the direction of the volcano. "Why is it that the fireballs keep following us? The only reason I ask is that there's one arching through the sky as we speak heading towards us."

"Why do you keep asking me?" Ash felt as though Valdera was just screwing around with him. "I don't have all the answers! How about you try keeping some questions to yourself and figure them out on your own? Light!" Valdera looked at him curiously. She moved her gaze back towards the fireball now so close she could see in great detail the flames rolling back on themselves as it came at the two of them with incredible speed. Ash at last clued in to what Valdera's question meant. He slowly looked up at the sky and took in the sight of a fireball racing towards them. "Huh." he said. He grabbed Valdera by the waist and lunged backwards through the nearest windowpane. The Pikachus used agility and ran straight down to the end of the street. The fireball crashed at the exact spot where they all had been standing only a few milliseconds before. Concrete debris from the sidewalk collided with buildings all along the street and the ceiling above Ash started to groan.

Ash gazed around the room groggily from the floor and became very alert when the ceiling buckled and groaned again. "Valdera! Valdera, we have to get out of here!" She made no response to his calls, but he felt her creamy smooth skin on his arm. He gave her a once over and found that she was unconscious and bleeding from a blow to the back of her head. A piece of shrapnel must have hit her there. Another warning sound from the ceiling set Ash into motion. He picked up Valdera and draped her across his shoulders. "I've been diving all over the place in the last few minutes," he grumbled to himself. He dove out through the place he dove in from, without the glass this time, at the same time as the ceiling came down.

Ash was slow to get up to even his hands and knees this time. The combination of all that had crashed against him in the last few minutes, a wall, a fireball, a pane of glass, debris, and almost an entire ceiling left him feeling quite drained already. I've only been on Cinnabar Island for ten minutes and already I want to leave. This is supposed to be an island paradise? What a joke. Ash's thoughts had turned quite cynical for the beginning of the trip. The reason for coming here had escaped Ash's mind and all he could think of as he tried to get up was that escape was what was called for and that as soon as possible. He didn't care what was trying to kill him, he didn't care where Pikachu was, all he cared about was leaving with every part of his skin unburnt.

His hand slipped a bit, scrapping along the pavement, and made contact with that smooth skin again. He jerked his head up and found her again just laying there not moving. Her Pikachu cried out and sprinted over to her master. Pikachu, Ash's, followed along behind Valdera's, and went under Ash. Once there, Pikachu jumped, flipped upside down in midair, and shoved Ash up to his feet using his paws to push forcefully against Ash's chest.

Valdera was a different matter. Her Pikachu couldn't even get her to wake up. She was in the middle of trying to pick up Valdera's arm when Ash stepped in. He placed her gently on his shoulders once more and walked away from the disaster scene. "We have to find some place to put her while we look for whatever's trying to kill us, Pikachu," he announced to his little buddy. "She's in no shape to fight and I don't want her to get killed. If that damn teleporter was still working I could just send her off to Indigo but since I fucked that up we have to deal with it." Ash walked slowly, keeping one eye on the road the other on the sky, watching for more attacks.

He ended up back at the Pokémon Center they had come from and decided to put her in the basement there, thinking that the fireballs couldn't penetrate that deep. He left soon after, sprinting, to get to the volcano. He was certain that that was where the fireballs were originating. He didn't believe that it was Team Rocket or the volcano erupting. He didn't know what he believed it was. He just knew that the threat was coming from there.

Watching the sky turned out to be a good idea as another fireball streaked out of the top of the volcano. Ash slid to a stop and Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder. He watched the course of the fireball as it moved swiftly across the orange sky. Ash made some quick calculations and to his horror the fireball was not heading for him but for the Pokémon Center! He didn't think it would reach Valdera, but it was still going to try and that was troublesome. Ash extended his arm, "Pikachu! Use Shield to protect the Pokémon Center!"

Pikachu raced along Ash's arm and jumped off the end using it like a springboard. He landed on the roof of the building next to them and raced along back towards the Center. At the last possible moment, when the fireball was almost directly above Pikachu, he leaped up in between the fireball and the Center.

"Pika, chu!" Thousands of tiny strings of electricity knitted together in front of him twenty feet wide and bent gradually outward from the middle. Pikachu fell away from his shield as the fireball hurtled into it. The fire hit right in the middle and because of the way the shield was made the fire was directed to the sides and away from the Pokémon Center. Pikachu, his job done, returned rapidly to Ash's shoulder.

"Good job, Pikachu." Ash nodded his gratitude and relief. With the job done and the damsel in distress protected, the perfect pair continued on their way to the volcano/gym in the middle of Cinnabar Island.

It didn't take them long to reach the volcano as every road led straight there. Luckily no more fireballs had come out in the mean time. The only problem now was that Ash didn't know how to get in. Before he could think of the way he had gotten in when he was in the hunt for his badges the rock almost directly in front of him opened outwards.

"Ash! Ma good friend! It's been so long," a very familiar female southern voice called out from the dusty new opening to the volcano. "Sorry about the fireballs darlin', we've been havin' a lil trouble with those pesky Rockets. We thought that you might be one a tryin' to get us." The dust cleared to reveal Lara Larame from the ranch he came to visit on his travels.

"Lara?" Ash couldn't keep himself standing any longer and collapsed to the ground. Even with his face pressed to the ground he couldn't stop uttering his disbelief at the luck he was having. "No Blaine? You're here, not Blaine? This is not a good day." Damn those Rockets! They must have gotten to Blaine somehow. Looks like I'm oh for two on the gym leaders search.

"Oh, Ash. You should ask questions before making assumptions." Lara walked over and picked him up. Ash leaned on her heavily as she half-dragged him into the cavern. "Blaine is here. He's just upstairs going crazy."

This news sounded worse to Ash than Blaine not being here or captured. "What do you mean going crazy? Regular crazy for his age, like going senile?"

"Nope. Sorry, Ash. Blaine's gone completely out of his mind. He was the one shooting those fireballs at ya. I don't know how he's done it, but he woke up this morning glowing red and now he can shoot giant fireballs out of his hands."

"It only took him the day to learn to control his powers? Impressive. Does he have a red cloak yet?"

Lara looked askance at Ash. "What do you mean, _his powers_? Well I know what you mean by that, but how do you know?"

"Team Rocket has triggered some sort of prophecy to create Pokémon Masters, as they've been dubbed. Humans with the elements like Pokémon. As I thought, Blaine has gained the element of fire. The element you gain is due to a fine attuning with the sense of your life-born element and bond you share with your Pokémon."

"So basically since I train Fire Pokémon I'll gain the element of Fire?"

"Yeah, if you want to put it into layman's terms." Lara guided Ash upwards to the top of the volcano where he predicted Blaine would be. As they rounded another bend Ash could see firelight flickering ahead. Ash entered a room near the top of the volcano carved into the rock with sparse furnishing, a window where you could see all the way to the sea, a small rivulet of water running down the side, and the main attraction, Blaine. He was not dressed up as a Pokémon Master with a cloak representing his element. He was just dressed normally in jeans and tropical t-shirt. What wasn't normal though were the three tiny balls of fire he was juggling in his hands.

"Welcome back, Ash!" Blaine cracked a huge grin as he continued to juggle. Ash practically fell into the huge deep leather chair, the only one in the room. "As you can see I've changed since we last met. I don't know whether it's for the better or not, but I do love playing with fire."

Lara related to Blaine what Ash told her on the way up to his chambers as he continued to flawlessly keep three balls in the air going at once. "So I am a by-product of a Team Rocket scheme to rule the world." Blaine paused in his juggling then continued at a faster pace. "Ash. What begins life on four legs then later on only two and ends on three?"

"You've already asked me this one, Blaine. It's man."

"Good job, boy. I'm on my third leg, Ash. Yesterday when I woke up I felt as though two of those legs would crumble when I got off my bed. Today, I woke up and look at me. I'm back to the second stage of man. No more cane for me. Whatever Team Rocket means to do with their powers is most likely going to be evil and horrible to mankind in general. But, I think I owe them a thank you for what they've given me: a second chance at life."

"That was heartfelt, Blaine." Ash said avidly. After a break to gather himself, Ash continued. "You should know why I'm here. I've come to bring you to Indigo Plateau. Gary is gathering in all the gym leaders to find a way to combat this new Rocket push for world domination. I was supposed to bring you back via teleporter, but I kind of broke it."

"You broke the teleporter!" Blaine dropped his fireballs onto the rock floor where they dispersed. "Why would you do that?"

"That's the other thing. I brought someone with me. Her name is Valdera. I found her in the woods trying to steal from me. It's a long story, but she's with me. She's a little unstable but Gary and I agree that she'll probably gain the elements. We think it's better for us to have her on our side. You almost killed her trying to kill me. She's in the Pokémon Center's basement unconscious and bleeding from the back of the head." Wait a minute. Maybe I should have thought of that leaving Valdera in the basement thing through. Now she's all alone back at the Pokémon Center and most likely dying.

"I think you should have mentioned her earlier, Ash." Blaine looked out the window towards the general direction of the Pokémon Center. "Lara go and get my things, and yours as well. It seems we'll be taking a trip to Fuchsia." Lara left the room to do as Blaine requested while he took up his fireballs again.

When Lara left, Ash felt a little more relaxed. Since the incident before the war started, Ash had not felt completely comfortable around any female other than Valdera. He didn't want to think about the implications around that thought so he pushed it aside and grabbed at another nagging one. "Blaine. What happened here? Where are all the people?"

Blaine let the fireballs go and got very serious, "Yesterday a bunch of tourists who had come over in a group about a week before showed their true colors, as it were, as Team Rocket members. Most of them were dressed in blue cloaks, which didn't make any sense to me at the time since most Rockets wear just a black uniform with a red 'R' emblazoned on the chest. They spread though the town mercilessly. Shooting jets of water out of their hands of all places and using very powerful Water-type Pokémon. So here I am sitting in my volcano watching as these ten men run towards my little hide away using the best type advantage possible against Fire-types. I'm thinking, 'Here comes the end,' when Lara's family and friends come riding in on the ferry. They were on their way to visit the island when they saw what was going on. Thirty of them all together came rushing off that little boat and trampled those Rockets. Unfortunately five of them perished in the retaliation and they couldn't get here in time to stop the Rockets from killing around twenty people and injuring hundreds more. All ten of the Water guys died and some grunts were revealed and later killed as well. The Larame clan called over more ferries and boats and the whole island left. They left Lara, myself, and a boat to escape in when we want to. That's the story of the abandonment of Cinnabar, Ash. It's such a beautiful place when there's peace and quiet." Blaine gazed lazily out the window and sighed a happy sigh.

"Before you fade on me old man could you explain your little fireball scorch marks around the town?"

Blaine looked irritated at the question, "You obviously have not had the pleasure of gaining your element. When you do, ask me that question again, and I'll tell you." Blaine looked at his watch then at the stairs then back again at his watch. "Where is that Larame girl?"

A few awkward minutes later spent in silence, Lara joined them in Blaine's chambers with Valdera walking in the same way Ash had. Ash tried to get up to let her sit in the chair but almost fell to the floor trying. Valdera waved at him to stop and just sat down on top of him. "I found her where y'all said she'd be, but you said nothin' about her Pikachu." Lara seemed to be quivering with fury and no wonder. Her red leather was scorched in some spots and had openings in others that looked suspiciously like Slash attacks done with tiny claws. "That lil thing woulda killed lil old me if her master didn't regain consciousness at the right moment." Lara gave Valdera a dirty, or was it jealous, look that said she didn't like the open affection she was giving Ash. "It seems she's more than just a friend, Ash."

"Lara," started Blaine. "You were asked to just gather our things so we could leave. Why did you bring in the girl as well? I hope you got our stuff at least."

"Don't worry Hun I got all our stuff ready and packed and on the boat. I came back and you were tellin' Ash about what happened, so I thought I had some time to do a few other things that needed doin'." Lara looked dismayed that Blaine would question her motives. Lara seemed to want to say more, but Valdera raised her hand.

"Excuse me," she said weakly. "I don't think we can leave right now anyways. Ashura and I are in no shape to get up let alone go anywhere." Even as she said that Ash could feel the energy leech out of his body and felt his body slowly relax. Valdera's warm body on top of his wasn't helping either, but that wasn't a bad thing.

"Yes, I believe you're right young lady," Blaine nodded to her. "I shall go set up a guest room for the two of you." Ash knew he heard that right but couldn't find the strength to argue about needing two rooms right now. He figured he'd fall asleep from running around and saving lives right there on the chair anyways.

Blaine and Lara left the two of them in the room alone together, one on top of the other. Ash didn't have to wait long before Valdera fell asleep. Blood loss must have tired her out more than him. He sunk deeper into the chair and let the comfort of it and the warmth of a woman's body lull him closer to sleep.

Blaine came in a few minutes later to tell them the room was ready, but he found them both deep asleep already and left them alone.

(Break)

Ash awoke to the soft breathing of Valdera still lying on top of him. She must have been really tired. By the looks of things we've slept for almost fifteen hours. I don't think I can get up without waking her though. "Valdera. Hey. Valdera, it's time to wake up." Ash whispered in her ear and shook her to get her to wake up.

Valdera responded slowly but woke up all the same. Ash started to get up out of the chair, except Valdera stopped him with a hand to his chest. "No, not yet. Just relax for now." Valdera grabbed Ash's arms in her own and crossed them over her belly, holding him tightly there. She snuggled in tighter to his chest and closed her eyes again.

He knew that he didn't have to go anywhere immediately and Gary could wait, nevertheless what kept him there was the sense of rightness to the feeling of Valdera. She made him feel where once he thought he'd never feel again. She opened his heart where before he thought he'd lost it. Maybe it was just a superficial thing. Whatever it was, something just felt right about the girl. Something deeply familiar…

When he looked down at her again she was staring up at him. It rankled him whenever she did that. The two of them just stared at each other for a time as the sun moved to its peak in the sky. Things he had to do flitted in and out of his head while he stared at the most beautiful face he had ever seen. All those thoughts left him as she started to move her way up. All thoughts but one: should I kiss her?

It had been in his mind for a long time. With the moment upon him he had to make a decision. She had already kissed him once before, but he hadn't returned it. The dilemma was whether he was over _that_ debacle yet or not. Was he ready for another girl only three days after? As she inched closer, his sense of reason melted away. He drowned in those aqua eyes and soon filled up on her taste.

The two of them kissed for long minutes. Their respective Pikachus were off on their own mating somewhere in the cavern as animals do. The two humans didn't take it that far but held each other for a while afterwards until Blaine walked in.

"It's time to go, Ash." Blaine walked right in and out again.

"That guy doesn't like people very much does he?" asked Valdera. "I mean, he lives in a volcano, he tries to trick people to keep them away, and whenever there are people close by he tries to have the least contact possible with them."

Ash looked down at her, "You could be right I guess. But that could be just Blaine's way of making himself appear mysterious." Ash had to get up now, as the blood wasn't circulating to his legs anymore. Valdera moved slowly off of him, stood and stretched. He soon followed her and the both of them had huge yawns. Ash walked behind Blaine deep in thought. Was what I did right? Should I have kissed her? I seem to be regretting it already it seems. It's too bad. Maybe if we'd waited we might have had a chance. I appear to be attracted to her no matter what I try to do and it's obvious she likes me. They walked together to the boat located in the underwater entrance to the volcano.

There, they found their Pikachus and Lara all together on one big happy boat. "Well, this looks like fun," said Ash. "Can anyone join in?"

"We're heading for Fuchsia now right?" asked Valdera. "Whom are we picking up?"

"We're hoping to catch both Koga and Aya at the same time but just Koga will do fine." Ash, once again couldn't judge why she didn't know the names of the gym leaders. "They are both Poison-type leaders and Koga's Pokémon is a Golbat while Aya prefers a Venomoth. I don't know what kind of powers a Poison Master would have, but the both of them are great samurais."

With everyone on the boat, Lara maneuvered them out of the underwater cavern to the north side of the island. Ash glanced back and noticed how empty the city really did appear at that time. You couldn't tell by looking at it from this distance that the place was completely trashed. "An empty city looks beautiful from this distance."

"Aye," remarked Lara. "Learn to love the site Ash. With Team Rocket organized and powerful, I think there will be a lot more empty cities around."

(Break)

The group made it to Fuchsia in good time and found at least half of Cinnabar camped out at the docks. The boat pulled in and roped itself to the sides. Ash and the crew crossed the span to join the people of Cinnabar.

"What are they all doing here?" asked Ash.

"Where else can they go, Ash?" answered Blaine who had returned to juggling the three fireballs. "They aren't going to leave their homes without hope of returning. So they sit here waiting for news." Blaine moved on to four balls of fire and a crowd started to gather. "Home is where the heart is as they say. A battle with Rockets will chase them from their homes for a bit, but it won't keep them away for long." Blaine took the four balls and split them to two in each hand. He squeezed his hands together and folded them open. A fireball launched high up into the air and exploded in mid-flight. The spectators awed at the _fireworks_ Blaine seemingly created from the palms of his hands.

"You're going to need to learn a few more things with your new powers than just little fireballs." Ash took a quick look at the split fireball in the air and walked away in the general direction of Fuchsia proper. He left the other three behind and continued on his mission. He knew they would follow sooner or later, but he didn't think Valdera would come up and hold his hand.

The touch of her skin on his own reminded him of this morning and all the regrets he'd had concerning it. He let go of her hand and slowed down. She looked at him with confusion and pain etched across her face when he looked at her. The two never stopped walking. They just stared at each other taking more regular steps whilst they cleared the crowds.

"What is it, Ashura?" she finally asked once they were clear. "I thought we'd gotten past all this."

Ash took a deep breath; stopped, and told her what he was really thinking. "This morning I was tired and weak. The feel of you on top of me was the only thing I have felt in a long time. The warmth of your body seeped into mine and warmed my frozen heart. The problem is that you may have gotten rid of the barrier, but you couldn't mend the break." Ash appeared close to tears as he at last got to the bottom of these confusing feelings he was having. "I do like you, Valdera. For now though, it's only as a friend."

Valdera felt a tear run down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away and tried to pull herself together. "I don't know why I feel this way about you, Ashura. I am so confused right now. Two days ago I was in Viridian forest living each day as if it could be my last. When I found you my first thoughts were only of your possessions. Now that I've spent some time with you all I can think about is you. I can't express what I'm feeling because I've never felt this way before. I kissed you this morning because I thought it would be inevitable."

Ash walked away from her to gather his thoughts. He knew that she really did like him but that she had never known true friendship in her life. The only companionship she knew was the mixed up kind she thought she got from the rapists. So the only way she could express those feelings was through sexual acts. "I know what you're going through right now."

"No you don't," she screamed at him. Rage got through everything she might have been feeling and took over her mind. Her entire demeanor changed and she got defensive. "Don't ever say that! You've lived the nice life. I can tell. But me? No, I have had to fight everything and everyone to live to eighteen. I ran away from home when I was seven. SEVEN! The world is not a nice place when you're seven and on your own."

He had to calm her down but the only experience he'd had with enraged females was with _her_ and he didn't want to think about _her_ when he was with Valdera. So he said the first sentence that came to his mind, referring back to what she'd said before and he'd thought about. "That kiss is something I've come to regret now."

Apparently it was the wrong thing to say. Her whole body stiffened and she stood straight as a pole in front of him. Deceptively calm, she took two steps and came within inches of him. "That kiss meant everything to me," she whispered up to his face. "Why would you throw it back at me like that?"

With the enormity of the situation overwhelming him, Ash felt the only way to continue answering was with whispers. "Because I can't be with you like that, Valdera. I know I can't always use it as a shield, but I was hurt. I was hurt badly by someone I loved with all my heart. I never did anything that would warrant the treachery I received at her hands. Yet here I am before you, a broken man with nothing to live for anymore."

"It is a good reason, Ashura, but not good enough. You can't keep hurting yourself because of something that happened long ago. Get over her."

"It was three days ago," he may have been whispering but he could get a lot of fierceness into a whisper. "I have been dead on my feet for three days. I never expected to live through Pewter, that's why I took this mission. I want to die!"

"You want to die? Well you're making a very good case for me to kill you."

Ash turned around sharply and walked away. Taking long strides he thought he was getting away from her. That is, until she grabbed him by the shoulder and twisted him around to face her again. "Don't do this, Valdera. I've taken enough shit from you. You do not threaten me!"

"What are you going to do about it?" She moved in close again, invading his space. She put her hands on his chest and gave him a shove. "You hurt me and think I won't fight back? I'm stronger than you, Ashura. My Pikachu is stronger than yours, Ashura. What are you going to do about it, Ashura?"

"Stop it," he growled. She came at him again as she planned on shoving him. "Don't." She still came on. She raised her hands and tried to shove, but Ash grabbed her before she could reach him. "You're wrong, Valdera. I'm stronger than you. My Pikachu is stronger than yours. There's nothing _you_ can do about it."

"That's what you think." Valdera leaned forward and cocked her leg. She swung forward with all her strength aiming for his groin. "Take this to remember me by!" She believed she had him, and she really did, save for he backed out of her range and pushed her in the process.

Valdera almost fell on to her back from the shove but kept her feet. She ran at Ash, gaining momentum for a strike. Ash went into a defensive position, knees bent, body slightly forward, one arm out, elbow cocked, and the other behind him. She tried to take a shot at his midsection but he blocked it, taking a step back in the process. Valdera, her momentum still carrying her forward, pressed her attack. Complex punch combos she only learned by teaching herself rained down on Ash. He blocked and pushed away everything, not letting her get through his defenses, all the while stepping backwards. She couldn't see any opening in his maneuvers so she just continued pushing forward.

Where before they had been clear of the suffocating press of people at the docks they now had to contend with the people racing up to see what the shouting had been about. Ash weaved deftly in between the people while still not breaking the concentration he required to stop Valdera's blows to mark him.

It's funny, he thought, one minute we're happy together just watching the Seafoam Islands pass by, the next we're spilling out all our emotions and end with her trying to kill me. Ha, yeah, she believes she can actually kill me.

He kept blocking and blocking and then backed up against someone his senses hadn't picked up and almost got smashed in the face for his efforts. He dropped just in time, rolled away and when he got up they continued their dance. "Ok, enough of this," he said.

Ash turned on her. She took a big right hook at him and instead of shoving it away he moved inside of it. Her arm flailed by him and he took advantage. One good belt to her stomach brought her down hard to her knees.

Ash slowly crouched down to her level. He grabbed her head and wrenched it up to look at her in the eyes. "I know and understand what you're feeling, Valdera. It's called friendship. You may not believe it, but I do. No one would fight that hard if they weren't fighting for something special. I know. I felt it once. Nevertheless you have chosen the wrong man to confuse friendship with love. I have no room for love in my heart and no time for girls who follow me around as a friend at one point and then try to kill me at another. You're too unbalanced, Valdera." With that, he walked away. Screw Gary, I'm not keeping her around for him just so that she can kill me in my sleep.

Valdera, still on her knees, watched him go. When he was out of her sight she dropped to the ground. The strike he'd given her had hurt her more than she thought he could hurt her. She laid there for a few minutes just gathering herself. She knew she must look odd lying there in the dirt with her beautiful white ensemble, although she didn't care.

Before she found the strength to get up, Lara Larame, the girl who had come with Blaine from Cinnabar, helped her to her feet. "We was watchin' y'all fight from over there." She pointed back to the docks. "You were givin' it to im good. It's' too bad you over-extended on that last hook. Ah well, thems the works. You go on now and say you're sorry for startin' that lil ol' spat there. I'm sure he'll forgive ya with a pretty face like yours."

Instead of running back to Ash, Valdera ran west, away from Fuchsia proper. She didn't know where she was headed; she didn't care, as long as she didn't have to hurt anymore. Inside or out.

(Break)

Ash had been walking with two Pikachus when he started his trip away from Valdera to Fuchsia. He didn't understand why the other one stayed with him, but when she left he didn't really care. The only thing on his mind now was Koga.

Gary wouldn't mind if some girl ran away when he fulfilled the original part of the mission. So he walked onwards toward the city and Fuchsia Gym. She didn't really want to kill him he knew. She was just mixed up and didn't know how to handle the feelings she had for him. In fact, he didn't know how to handle the feelings she had for him. She was just some messed girl he had met two days earlier. In normal circumstances there was no way he could enjoy the company of some common thief. For some reason he was deeply and subconsciously attracted to something about her. Something that made his life feel just that much more right.

He was very surprised when Lara came up to tell him that Valdera had gone west as opposed to coming back to him as he thought she would. He didn't know how but that girl had weaseled her way into his category of friends and he thought that maybe teaching her a lesson hadn't been a good idea.

What am I thinking? If I hadn't taught her a lesson she would have killed me! Then again, I guess I could have done it a little more tactfully. Speaking to her about it may not have worked, but beating the crap out of her should not have been the solution. From one girl to the next I can't seem to figure out how to handle them. Sometimes you need to hold them as if they are doves and other times as if they are venomous snakes. There's nothing I can do about it now anyways. "Lara, we'll keep heading towards the gym. Valdera is a free woman and can do what she wants. I have a mission I need to fulfill." Still, if she ended up getting hurt on her way to wherever he knew it would hurt him as well.

The city of Fuchsia was a prosperous city with the safari zone just to the north bringing tourists from all over. Therefore the gym showed that wealth. With donations from the city and payment from rookie trainers from all over trying to earn a badge while they were in the city the gym had grown immense over the years. In the shape of a ninja's hideaway Fuchsia City gym was the home of Koga and Aya who shared the duties of gym leader. There they trained their Pokémon, their minds, and their bodies.

Ash remembered the last time he was here quite vividly. It's not everyday you defeat two gym leaders in one day. Aya hadn't been considered a gym leader at the time, but she had still acted like one. With her stupid Venonat that really didn't do anything she tried to defeat me. Me! I may have been young and inexperienced at the time, but I was still ten times better than she ever will be. With all those traps and Team Rocket there I may never have been able to face Koga without Psyduck being... Why can't I stop thinking about her? Oh that's right, she ruined my life.

"Ash, hun, what's the matter?" asked Lara. "We're almost to the gym so that can't be it. Is it the girl?"

"Which one?" responded Ash. "There seem to be so many these days I can't keep track of them all."

"The new one. The blonde. Valdera wasn't it? But that does remind me. Where is Misty?"

Ash tried to keep his face smooth but a slight stiffness in his gait gave him away under the close scrutiny of Lara Larame. "It isn't Valdera that's bugging me." He knew Lara would make a big deal out of the evasion. Nevertheless he really, really didn't want to talk about it right now so soon after losing Valdera over it. Not to mention that it still had happened only three damn days ago. Time, even though it is ephemeral, can kick your ass sometimes when it drags out for so long.

Blaine came up beside the pair and almost stopped dead at the strain between them. Lara asked him to go sit down on the bench they had just passed while she and Ash would go have a talk somewhere up ahead. They would come get him soon. Ash knew what was coming, but he didn't think he could stop her if truth be told. All those years of riding Ponytas and Rapidashes had made Lara into one powerful woman. So, Blaine went to sit down and Lara dragged Ash to another bench further up the road. Ash set his backpack with Pikachu inside to his left while Lara sat on his right.

Ash sulked for a bit and waited for Lara to make the first move. "Misty," Lara hesitated. "Misty was someone y'all loved. Everyone knew that. Everyone knew she loved you too. Something has obviously happened or she'd be at your side even today. The more dangerous it got the more she stuck to y'all. I don't know what happened and you know what? I don't want to know. Whatever happened is between you two. But y'all can't be like this." Lara looked directly into Ash's deep golden eyes. He sat up and stared right back. "This world, this beautiful world, is in danger. Team Rocket is trying to grab it using weapons they think nobody else has. Your mission is something only you can do. From your journeys you know everyone, they know you and, you might not believe it, but they would all follow wherever you lead." Ash shook his head and went limp against the back of the bench.

"You're right Lara," he looked at her, "I don't believe you." He fixed his gaze upon the sky above in quiet contemplation and appeared to go into a dream state. Whilst calm and collected, Ash thought about everything that had happened three days ago from an objective point of view and it still hurt. "You may know more about that leading thing than I do and that's all right with me. Right now though, I could care less about leading. Gary is League Master and that's fine by me."

"You're better than Gary! You beat him."

"People are always going to throw that in our faces aren't they? Just because I beat him in a battle three years ago doesn't mean I'm fit to be the Leader of the League. Yes, yes I know tradition and all that; the most powerful Pokémon Trainer is the rightful League Master. However I don't want to hear it. Gary's probably hearing all about who should be in charge right now as well. I hope the Elite Four aren't telling him I should be placed in charge now that we're at war."

"We would follow you though, Ash." Lara gave him her most thoughtful face and Ash couldn't take the questioning to any further extent.

"That's enough! It is Ashura! Leave it alone Lara! I will not lead! I will not discuss _her_! I will not let you play games with my emotions any longer!" Ash stormed off in the direction of Fuchsia gym and paused to look over his shoulder at Lara. "Even though you have angered me I cannot allow you to stop Blaine from coming back to the League. I still have my mission to fulfill."

"Don't worry," said Lara breathlessly. "I won't."

"Good. Get him to meet me at the gym. I'll go ahead." As Ash walked away from her he felt something on his cheek slide the rest of the way off his face. A tear, he thought, what's the use of tears? They only make a man appear weak and this world kills off weak men. I must become something other than who I was. That child cannot live in the world of adulthood. We must all grow up someday. Maybe _she_ was right.

Ash remained in deep thought for most of the walk to Fuchsia gym. It wasn't a very long walk but that time thing kicked in again. When people walked by him, even if they had been talking a few moments before, they went past in silence. Looking at the ground they wouldn't even recognize why they suddenly felt as though the world was against them at every turn. The moment would pass quickly, but they couldn't shake the feeling.

Blaine caught up to Ash after Lara had told him about their one-sided argument and fell in beside him. He created his three fireballs again and almost juggled them but thought better of it after watching the people walk past. "It seems you are projecting some awfully dark feelings there, Ashura. You probably haven't noticed, what with your peering inward and all, except that now I'm starting to catch it and you should begin to notice."

"What?" Ash came out of his stupor and peered at Blaine through glazed eyes. He blinked and his eyes returned to normal. "Sorry about that Blaine I was just… just thinking. I know what Lara said was just her trying to help me out, but I don't want any help right now. I want to try and figure this out on my own."

"If this is what I think it is you should probably talk about it. I've been through it many times now." Blaine puffed his chest out and ran his hand through his receding hairline. "You should listen to the advice of your elders."

"There's the gym, Blaine." Blaine frowned at Ash as he watched him stride up the last few steps to the gym.

Blaine gazed at the young man as he entered the gym. Lara placed a hand on his shoulder and he turned to her. She was watching Ash as well. "It is as you thought, my love. His heart has been completely destroyed by her. I have never seen anyone hurt so bad that it affects the people around him. He's always been able to do that so I shouldn't be surprised."

"Is there anything y'all can do for 'im?" asked Lara.

"At this point, no. In the future, if he ever feels like talking about it with someone, we might be able to help him get through it. A broken heart is not something you can patch up. It takes a full renovation." Blaine sighed and shook his head. "Shall we go in?"

(Break)

As Ash walked the halls of Fuchsia gym he couldn't help but reminisce about his younger days of traveling from city to city hunting for the eight badges he needed to compete in the Pokémon League Championships.

Unfortunately, those days are over for me. The world was at peace and I knew who my friends were. What a striking difference six years makes. I've lost both those ideals and now I don't know why I still need to live. Death does not bother me as much as it used to.

Ash entered the arena portion of the gym having still not met anyone and it was starting to annoy him. Last time they had known he was here almost instantly. Luckily, on the other side of the arena, he could see Aya in the other trainer's box. "Hey, Aya," said Ash. "Where's Koga? I need to speak with the both of you."

"Tee-hee-hee! Wrong!" The 'Aya' threw off her wig and clothes and Ash found himself facing someone who was not anything at all like Aya. This girl had blonde hair and the longest pair of legs he had seen before Valdera. "You'll have to defeat me before you face Mistress Aya. This'll be a two Pokémon battle just like the final battle. Go, Venonat!"

"You don't know who you're facing do you?" Ash watched the low-level Venonat come at him with contempt and decided against beating it up himself. He didn't want to scare the girl. "I choose you, Pikachu. Try not to kill the thing."

"Pika!" Pikachu hopped out of Ash's backpack and strolled into the arena. The Venonat, with its head start, was almost on top of Pikachu by the time Pikachu got his electric sacks all charged up. Piercing yellow light coalesced into the Electric Shield right in front of the Venonat. Venonat took one step and slammed into the shield. The shield exploded and Venonat launched backwards so fast that he created a Venonat sized opening in the wall behind the trainer. "Pika pi, pikachu-u."

"He says you should give up if that's the best you've got. Even if it isn't the best you've got, you should quit right now."

"Oh, Ash, are you toying with my new trainee?" The voice from the other room sounded exactly like Aya. Hopefully it was the real one this time. A head poked out of the hole in the wall and it certainly looked like Aya. "Yes, it's me this time, Ash." She removed her head and went around to the door and entered the arena carrying the Venonat. "I heard there was someone traveling through the gym and I wanted to see whether my new plan would work." Aya patted the girl on the head and gave her back her Pokémon. "I'm going to line up with girls that all look like me and people who want to challenge for the badge have to choose the correct Aya to win. Ingenious, right?"

"You'll have to train these girls a little better before you can do that though. This one was embarrassing. Look she's trembling!" Indeed the girl was trembling and looking pop-eyed at Ash.

"You're…" The girl swallowed and took another breath. "You're _the_ Ash Ketchum?"

"It's Ashura now, but yes I am he."

The girl fell to her knees immediately. "I am so sorry sir! If I had known who you were I would not have gotten in your way. Mistress Aya speaks highly of you and I watched you defeat Gary three years ago."

Ash put out a hand for the girl to grab and lifted her to her feet. "There's no need for that now. You go take your Venonat to the Pokémon Center and maybe we can battle again when you've trained a little bit more. If you stick with Aya here you will become an amazing Pokémon trainer because she is an incredible teacher." The girl nodded and patted Pikachu on the head on her way out.

"I'm glad you encouraged her instead of belittling her. Although that comment about battling again when she gets better might be misconstrued as an insult later." He raised an eyebrow at Aya's comments. She shrugged. "When we found out it was you Koga asked me to bring you to the living room. You're not the only visitor we've had today." Aya looked behind Ash at where he had come from. Ash watched as Blaine walked in with Lara behind him. "Oh, Blaine. When did you get here?"

"We're traveling with Ash on the way to Indigo Plateau." Blaine came up to the others. "We would have taken the teleporter, but it was destroyed." Blaine, Lara and Ash pointedly did not look at each other. "I heard you say you have other visitors?"

"Yes, come this way please. We're having tea."

Ash's first thought was of Valdera, but he didn't think she'd be having tea with the two gym leaders. It had to be someone they knew to be so friendly with him or her.

Aya led the group through the back of the gym, past the traps and straight to the living quarters where both Aya and Koga lived.

Ash followed Aya into the living room, which was about the same size as his quarters in the Palace of the Elite Four, and could smell the herbal tea that wafted from the cups held by all the occupants of the room.

Koga tipped his cup in Ash's direction and motioned to the only other open seat in the room. The rest of the seats were taken up by Gary and the Elite Four all wearing cloaks of different color.

"Hey Ash, check this out." With that, a ball of electricity the size of a softball floated out of Gary's hand. "Cool isn't it? Why don't you have your cloak on? Do you not have your powers yet?" All Ash could do was stand there stunned as Gary's smile took over his entire face.

End of Chapter 3


	4. Chapter 04, Adversity

_**Ash's Dark War**_

By Unknown Bird

Ace Sanchez's Pokemon Master, please read his story before you read mine. I don't want to ruin it for anyone.

Note: Pokemon and its associated characters are copyright by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc, and 4Kids Productions. Valdera is owned by Ace Sanchez.

Chapter 4 – Adversity

Ash didn't know what to think. Gary had always been almost on the exact same level as him so he had figured that they would gain the elements at almost the exact same time as well. Of course he thought he'd get them first, he was better than Gary obviously so why not, and now that Gary had them and he didn't, well, he wasn't too happy. Jealousy was one word that popped into his head, but he tried to ignore it.

Gary was of course over the moon with the revelation of no powers for Ash. A small mental line was added on to the chalkboard of revenge for the defeat in the Finals. He knew that Ash would eventually gain the elements, but while he had them and Ash didn't he was going to gloat as much as he could.

"Would you like some tea, Ashura?" asked Koga. Ash stopped staring at Gary and spun to face Koga questioningly. "Gary has informed me of your name change, so don't think on it. Everyone else has some so I should ask whether you want some." Ash took the offered cup and sat in the chair opposite Gary. "I'm afraid I only have enough for one more cup as I wasn't expecting so many guests so I'm afraid I can't offer any to you, Blaine or you, Lara. I'm so very sorry."

"That's all right Koga, I know how courteous you are," responded Blaine. "I'm sure Lara here feels the same way. I think that Lara and I will excuse ourselves for just a moment outside the room, if possible?" Koga motioned his acceptance. "Come along now, Lara."

As Blaine and Lara left the room Aya leaned over to Ash. "I swear, if Lara wasn't so young, I'd think those two were dating. Of course, it is possible that she enjoys older men, but I think it highly improbable."

Ash choked into his tea and looked back at the door. Could they be dating? It did seem quite dubious but hey, anything is possible. "I don't know, Aya, but you could be right." Ash glanced at Gary and those horrible feelings came back again. He had on a gray cloak, which didn't correspond to any element he had ever heard of. It nagged at him, but he would not be the first one to speak. Gary was not going to get the satisfaction of informing him about something he didn't know. Gary's smile got a fraction bigger, though Ash couldn't see how, as the two stared each other down.

Gary sighed and stopped smiling. "Since you're not going to ask, I know you want to because I know you don't know what it means; I'm going to answer your first question. What does the gray cloak symbolize? It means I'm League Master. Whenever someone becomes League Master his or her cloak turns gray. We experimented with Lance since you weren't there. Oh yeah, by the way," Gary frowned and sounded like he didn't want to tell Ash what was coming next, "you're next in line for the cloak. If I die you become League Master."

No wonder he sounded like he didn't want to tell me. He didn't want to give me a victory after such a huge blow to the ego. It's not that I didn't know that already but hey whatever he doesn't know won't kill him. "That's great news Gary. I have some for you too. I won't be taking over during the war. I still do have that option. I think you're the right man for the job so you can keep it. If you die than yeah, sure I'll take over but right now, I don't see the need for a power shift."

"Now that business is over with," began Lance, "let's have your report, Ashura."

"That still is business, Lance," laughed Gary. "I'm glad you're not second in line!"

"Guess what, Gary? We still have to worry, he's third in line!" joked Bruno. Everyone got a good laugh out of that one until Lance told Bruno to shut up and everyone laughed all the more.

"Ashura!" cut in Lance. "Could we please have your report?" The group calmed down except for Lorelei who kept repeating 'third in line' under her breath and chuckling. "Would you get a hold of yourself, Lorelei? We're fighting a war here." That silenced her.

"As you can see," began Ash, "I have brought the gym leader Blaine with me along with Lara Larame. Both are very attuned to fire-type Pokémon and Blaine already has his elemental powers. When I left none of you had any elemental abilities so I'm guessing that he got his powers first. Anyone want to take a stab at what that could mean? Does that mean he's stronger than all of us?"

"It could be a measure of how strong he is," responded Gary, then under his breath, "especially compared to you."

"I may have an idea." Agatha interjected. "When did Blaine gain his elemental powers?"

"He says he got them after Team Rocket attacked Cinnabar," answered Ash.

"That explains it. He had been stressed the night before. When Gary had gained his powers he was stressed because he had to tell us about the troubles with Team Rocket. We in turn gained our powers when we were stressed about Gary having fallen unconscious after he gained his powers."

"You fell unconscious?"

"Shut up, Ash."

"Can you not handle you powers or something?"

"I told you to shut up."

"I'm sorry I'm just saying. You fell unconscious?"

"Ok kids, break it up." Koga tried to hide the smile but failed miserably and Ash couldn't help but smile with him. "So it seems that we gain our powers under situations of duress. From what I've heard though, Ashura has been under a lot of stress for the past couple of days." Ash focused a glare on Gary. How dare he talk about my situation. "What with the missions and all. I heard you even went up against five Rocket Pokémon Masters. That brings up the question, why doesn't Ashura have his powers?"

Ash was grateful that Gary hadn't gossiped about anything, but he knew he had to say something before Gary took a shot at him again while he was a wide open target. "Maybe there just hasn't been enough stress. I didn't really feel anything as I killed the Rockets. Sure the Wartortle was a shock but it didn't put any more stress on me than I was already under." It's true. I didn't feel anything as I killed those Rockets. I never thought about that. I should feel something. I killed three people myself and ordered the death of thirty-four others and yet, there's nothing. I just feel dead inside.

"How many gym leaders does that make?" inquired Gary.

"Including Aya it makes three." Ash answered back. "Six Masters, and four potential Masters."

"Ash is one," counted Gary with a smirk, "Lara is two, Koga is three and Aya is four. Valdera makes five doesn't she?"

"That right!" exclaimed Lance. "Where's the blonde!?"

Ash, after being beaten out by Gary for the elementals didn't want to back down about this so he said bluntly, "She left. She didn't want to be around any longer and I didn't want her around any longer." Now that he had the bit in his mouth, he couldn't rein himself in. "If you have any reservations about my letting her go, well you can just shove them up your ass." I think I may have taken that just a bit too far. Gary looks as though he's going to explode.

Gary did in fact look like he was going to explode. He was beginning to glow like a Pokémon about to use the attack Explosion. "Ash, you may be able to take the title away from me any time you want but I will not tolerate such insolence while I am League Master. I will forgive you this once, but don't do it again." Gary stopped glowing and calmed down, slightly.

"I guess you can't stop rivals from being rivals after they've been doing it for their whole lives," chimed in Lorelei. "Jolteon versus Pikachu is still my favorite battle ever."

"Lorelei, stop that. You're ruining the mood," brooded Gary. He lost that battle. "So you lost Valdera. Right now I don't think it's such a big problem. But if she ever gets stressed enough to gain her elements, and she probably will gain them, she'd better be on our side when it happens."

"I don't think we'll have to worry about that," said Ash. "When I first met her, she appeared to be extremely frightened of Team Rocket."

"Just because she won't join Team Rocket, doesn't mean she'll join us, Ashura." Gary exhaled noisily in frustration and got up. "Speaking of Team Rocket, I have a war to fight. Anyone want to come help me? Ashura, I'd like you to come with me back to Indigo. Preliminary reports have the Rockets barely entering Mount Moon at this time so you'll have some time off before you head for your next city. I'd make it Cerulean if I were you, if only to get it over and done with." Gary looked pityingly on Ash as he gathered up his small army and headed for the Pokémon Center. "Koga and Aya. You'll have to shut down your Gym and come with us to the Palace. I don't want to put any stress on you or anything, but we need as many Pokémon Masters as we can get."

"How ironic can you be?" whispered Koga.

(Break)

Ash and company filed through the teleporter two by two. Ash went through first with Gary at his side. "We have working teleporters all over this country. I know that the ones in Vermillion, Cerulean, Fuchsia and Saffron are the only ones left standing at the moment other than the few scattered around Indigo. What are our plans concerning troop movements through those cities?"

"We will talk about logistics when we get back to the Defense Room, Ashura," declared Gary. He punched in the coordinates for Indigo and the computer calculated swiftly and transported them to their destination.

Another five hundred guards encircled the teleporter and these ones all gasped and started to gossip when they saw Ash come out. All of them tried to crowd closer and looked past Ash as he walked out. Ash put his hand on Gary's arm and they both stopped to watch the teleporter from a few feet away. The other eight men and women teleported in and went to stand by Ash and Gary and the guards grew more and more restless. When the whole team had come through the teleporter Ash walked in front of them all.

With all five hundred pairs of eyes on him he took a deep breath and raised one finger. "You have probably all heard the rumors about my interactions with a certain blonde. You have most likely heard that she follows me wherever I go and will only speak to me or when I am around." He pointed behind him. "I know that you are all watching behind me hopping that I am only saying this so that the girl can transport in, in peace. It is my most unfortunate duty to announce that Valdera will not be joining us today. Thank you and have a nice day."

Ash played it cool and didn't laugh out loud hysterically until he got inside the building.

Aya looked askance at Ash. "I really don't see what's so funny."

"He slipped a pretty little blonde into bed," spoke Lance, "and everyone was in the halls outside her door when it happened. This is only third-hand knowledge because I doubt Gary was in the halls when it happened."

It was Ash's turn to fix his eyes on Lance askance, but he didn't say a word. He knew what had happened but nobody else needed to know the truth. Of course, that little outburst before Cinnabar had helped as well so now he couldn't feel so angry about it anymore.

Gary passed Koga, Aya, Blaine and Lara on to some servants to show them to their rooms. The rest of them moved along to the D.C.R. Gary placed his hand on the metal plate and the door slid open to reveal the room that Ash had come to right after the disaster. Bill was still working there along with his under scientists. There were a few additions to the people in the room. Generals of the army were discussing preparations for a massive assault against Team Rocket on one side of the room and other generals were discussing the measures they'd have to take to keep this place defended.

"Bill," called out Gary, "put the map on the big screen with the markers." Bill looked over and was about to say something when Gary cut him off with a gesture. Bill nodded and turned back to his computer. The screen at the front of the room, where the scout's report had been the last time Ash had been here, flickered to an overview of all of Kanto. Entire cities were marked in yellow, red or blue and little flags of yellow and red were spread across the entire country. "Cities in yellow are held by our troops, cities in red are held by Team Rocket and cities in blue are neutral. Corresponding yellow and red flags are troops. There are no blue troops because supposedly they are all our troops we just don't have a hold on those cities yet."

Ash's eyes crossed the map quickly to Pallet Town and sighed with utmost relief when he saw that it was yellow. "Thank you Gary. I'm glad you sent troops to Pallet Town."

"Of course, it's our hometown. Pallet isn't my biggest concern right now though." Gary pointed to sections of the map. "Viridian and Pewter are under Rocket control so, as you'd expect, there are quite a few forces there. But over here," he slid his hand all the way to the other side of the map where there were many red flags, "you wouldn't expect them so far away from the main body. Reports have them at, at least a thousand in that spot alone."

Ash had to look carefully at the map before he could figure out what city it was. "Wait a minute that's Lavender, what are they doing there?" The radio tower was the only thing that came to mind for Ash but Team Rocket couldn't take over the world with nothing but a radio.

"We don't know why yet." replied Gary. "We're doing the best we can to find out. It could be that they need it to reach Vermillion and Fuchsia. For now, we hold Celadon, Fuchsia, Pallet, Cinnabar, Cerulean and most of Saffron."

"Most of Saffron?"

"It's the gateway to the rest of the country. If you hold Saffron you have four different cities you can reach easily. It was obvious that they'd try to capture that city as soon as they could but we already had a force there. The fighting has stopped for now, but we don't know why. They grabbed the eastern part of the city and Lavender Gate and stopped. They might be biding their time to bring more reinforcements but we hold the teleporter, the Gym, and the paths to Celadon, Cerulean and Fuchsia so they would have to come from the rock tunnel and through Lavender."

"The force in Saffron could just be there to keep us from Lavender and whatever they're doing there," put in Lance.

"That is plausible," offered Bill. "We've been trying to get scouts into Lavender to see what they're up to but nothing gets through their barricade." Bill went to the computer and enlarged the area just after Saffron on the Lavender side. "They have a force of approximately fifty soldiers here in the only pass through the mountains." The screen changed again this time to the Mount Moon side of Lavender. "And twenty soldiers here guarding the entrance to Lavender from inside Mount Moon. It may only be twenty and fifty but it's enough that no scout has made it through either pathway."

"Have you tried flying across on Pidgeots?" asked Ash.

"Yes, they have the air covered as well."

"Go back to the map of the whole continent if you could please, Bill. Ok, so by looking at this map, with troops mostly held in Viridian, we can't move troops out of Indigo without the teleporter. The cities with teleporters left are: Cerulean, Fuchsia, Vermillion and Saffron. With the Saffron teleporter we have access to Celadon and with the Fuchsia teleporter we have access to Cinnabar. We're cut off from Pewter, Viridian and Lavender. Key cities include Indigo, Saffron and Fuchsia. With the cities they have they can attack Indigo, Vermillion, Fuchsia, Saffron and Cerulean. Is it just me or do they have a chance to grab all three key cities? Should I have added Lavender as a key city?"

"It would take them days to get an army through Victory Road so we're safe here. With the teleporter we've been feeding troops and supplies to Saffron, Fuchsia, and the Headquarters outside Victory Road so they shouldn't have too much trouble. The only thing is, we can't hold on to Cerulean or Vermillion. They are already heading for Cerulean and we won't be able to stop them. They haven't moved on to Vermillion yet but they will and we can't defend it either."

Ash directed his next question at Gary. "How come they're able to just glide through cities if we have all the teleporters?"

"They have two advantages," replied Gary. "One, they have about ten times our number in troops. As you know the Pokémon League isn't a true army but we do keep the peace. Secondly, their Pokémon Masters. They still outnumber us greatly. How many do you think they have? The video footage from that scout earlier picked up at least a few hundred in Viridian. We have six."

"So then what is our strategy?"

"Unfortunately, it's you."

Gary looked so glum about the fate of the League resting on Ash's shoulders that Ash could only shake his head and give the guy a pat on the back. "I'm not the only one that could do this mission you know."

"Alas, that is not true. I cannot do the mission because I kind of made a few enemies along my journey and not all the gym leaders like me. By law the Elite cannot leave Indigo when we're at war unless they are commanding a portion of the army or escorting the League Master. I'd have to remove the offending person from their position if they tried it. You are the only one who has good relationships with every one of the gym leaders and you're not officially part of the League." Gary appeared to sag with every word. Being League Master must not be enough for him.

"I never knew, Gary. I thought that my missions were just the ingathering of allies. I didn't think that it was so important. I'll be sure to take this seriously and try my hardest now." Ash looked up at the clock on the wall and for the first time noticed how late it was. The boat ride had taken a long time and then all this talking with Gary had made the time pass so quickly. "I think I'll be going to bed now. I assume my quarters are still where they used to be?"

Ash made his good byes and climbed up the confusing stairwells and twists in the Palace to his apartments in the permanent tenants section. While not as big as the rooms for the Elite Four and most certainly not Gary's rooms, his apartment was large enough for being used all of twice since they were given to him. The apartment was the same size as the other seven gym leaders' rooms. His apartment used to be Giovanni's since it had been the largest one available when he won and then passed on the title. Giovanni had been thought dead at the time and no replacement for the Viridian Gym had been found, so Ash took over the rooms.

All eight apartments were exactly alike in that they all had a reception room, a large bathroom, an extremely large bedroom with adjoining bathroom and a reading room. The only thing it lacked to make it a house was a kitchen. The chefs made every meal for the tenants in this part of the palace though which made it was an unnecessary extravagance.

Each apartment was different when you looked a little closer. On a wall in the reception were copies of every trophy the resident had won. The color of the reception room was always the color of the element the person most favored.

Ash stared at his yellow walls and tried to envision a cloak of the same color on himself. Yellow wasn't really his color though. I guess I can't help that my best friend in the world had to be an electric mouse. "Hey, Pikachu, let's play a game of cards."

Ash pulled two of the comfy chairs together in front of a coffee table and grabbed the cards out of his pack while Pikachu hopped up into the other chair. Ash dealt out the cards for Go Fish and sat down heavily into his chair. "Pikachu, got any fours?"

(Break)

On the other side of the Palace, back at the Defense Control Room, Gary stared at the door where Ash had left. "Lord Garick?" began Bill. "Shall I put them back?"

Gary heaved a sigh and nodded in acquiescence. Suddenly a massive amount of red flags appeared above Pallet Town. "Why do they want that town? What is it there that they need?" He was extremely frustrated with the lack of knowledge that he had, especially about this. "I'll take any idea."

"Are you sure not telling Ashura was a wise idea?" asked Lorelei.

"It's for his own good. If he knows that his hometown is in danger he'll go rushing off to save it. The only thing he can do is die if he tries that. He's got a major set of morals. Now, does anyone have any idea why we're even discussing Pallet Town and Team Rocket in the same sentence?"

"There are three possible answers and they could all be true." Bill was very sympathetic to Ash and Gary's situation. Their hometown could be destroyed very soon and there was nothing anyone could do. "Pallet Town has a route to Cinnabar Island which they don't have at the moment. Other than through Fuchsia it's the easiest way to get there. After they sent their advance team to Cinnabar they probably haven't heard from them and now they want to know how the mission went. Also, Professor Oak lives in Pallet." Gary whipped his cloak around and grabbed Bill by the throat.

"Why the hell does that matter?!"

Bill, trying to suck in a little bit of air, tried his best to answer but couldn't with Gary's hand where it was. Gary relaxed his hand a bit and Bill took a long breath before answering. "Knowledge. Professor Oak knows almost everything that has to do with Pokémon. If they can get him they'll learn a great deal. Even if they just get his notes and computers they'll have a lot more information than they do now."

"That's two reasons. Do I even want to know the third?"

Lance put a hand on Gary's shoulder and pulled him over to a corner. Bruno tried to follow but Lance waved him away. "Giovanni may want to send you a message. Try to goad you into saving your hometown even though you know it's impossible. He probably has quite a few Pokémon Masters in the group just to deal with yours and whosoever-you-bring-with-you's Pokémon."

"Those are all very good reason for attacking Pallet Town, Lance. I just wish they weren't true." Gary wilted even further and Lance grabbed him and pulled him close. Gary tensed up at first but in the end relaxed in Lance's arms and let it all out.

"Guys, maybe we should…" Bruno grabbed the other two Elites and they left the room and headed for their apartments.

Gary, held in Lance's arms, sobbed out all the pain he felt every time he watched those markers move closer to Pallet Town. His grandfather had no way of getting out, no one in the town did. His sister was going to die, his friends were going to die, everything he had ever known was going to be taken away from him because of one stupid power hungry man. He cried and cried into Lance's shoulder until all the tears he had were gone. Now all that was left was purpose: obliterate Giovanni. He pushed Lance away and thanked him for the shoulder.

"Any time, Gary." Lance, part of his cloak a little bluer than the rest of it, stood proudly and unashamed. "You are our leader. There are times when you have to bear everything for us and be a pillar of strength. If your mind is on other things at the time you won't be able to do it. It's best to just let the personal stuff out now while you can."

"Words of wisdom from a good friend, Lance, will always be taken to heart. Okay let's stop with this mushy stuff and get back to this war we have to win. What do we need to do to win this thing Lance?"

"It won't be easy. Ashura is part of the equation but right now he appears to be a wild card. I don't know how he's going to fit into all of this."

"Should we remove him from that equation? I don't mean kill him but let somebody else do the job?"

"No. Ashura is loyal; he won't go back on us unless we go back on him. After that spiel you gave him I don't think there's any way we can take him off the mission short of gross incompetence. My opinion is that we shouldn't take him off anyways. The best thing we can do is give him a long leash. He is one of the best Pokémon trainers out there; even without the elements he is a force to be reckoned with."

"Then we'll leave Ashura alone. Actually, we won't leave him alone. If he's going to be tied to the league I want to know what is going on in his head. We're both going to visit him."

"As you wish, Lord Garick." said Lance as he bowed deeply.

(Break)

"You're a very powerful Pokémon, you know that Pikachu?" Ash was still playing the same game of Go Fish with his little buddy. Ash had three sets while Pikachu had only two. "I don't need to have the elements, I just need you."

"Pikachu-u." Pikachu made a few gestures with his hands extrapolating on his point. "Pikachu?"

"No I don't have any threes but you could be right about that elements thing. I might not be stressed enough. I don't know how, what with the last few days and all." Ash drew his card.

"Chuu," said Pikachu sadly.

"Then again, I'm not stressed at all. I'm not happy either. I guess you could call me neutral, if that's an emotion. Kind of like walking through a dream or something like that. I thought of the word dead once to describe me and I think it's the closest to anything. Ah! It's just so hard to describe, Pikachu! Got any kings?"

"Pika!" Pikachu sniffed at him and held out three kings.

"Ha ha! That makes four for me. Oh look, it's raining outside." Thunder pealed in the distance as Pikachu stopped trying not to look at Ash and watched the door when he sensed someone coming. Seconds later Gary and Lance walked into the room.

(Break)

When the two of them came into the room Ash stood up from his game of cards with his Pokémon. Gary motioned him back down, his gray cloak flowing behind him as he pulled across a chair for himself. Lance grabbed a chair and sat on Gary's right. "What's up Gary?" said Ash.

Gary tried to give the appearance of being nonchalant but couldn't meet Ash in the eye. "We need to know what happened between you and Mis… hem… the Cerulean gym leader. If you're going to be working for the League we can't have loose cannons going around. We need to know that if you meet up with her accidentally on one of your forays what the result would be."

There was no other way to describe what Ash did next except to say he clamped up tighter than a Shellder. The room felt darker at once and the air seemed to pulse. Pikachu's eyes gained a glazed look about them and his tail went perfectly rigid. Lance knew at once that this was not going to go the way Gary had it planned out.

Gary fixed his eyes upon Ash and saw that his lips were moving. He leaned in closer to try and hear what he was saying. When he moved so close that he was almost touching Ash's lips he heard what he was saying. "She wasn't there. She wasn't there. She wasn't there. She wasn't there." Ash was whispering that over and over again and Gary shifted away as fast as he could.

"Ashura. Ashura stop," Gary pleaded with him. "Ash, stop it, you're scaring me."

Lance got up and shook Ash by the shoulders until Ash looked up at him. Ash's normally golden eyes had a dull redness to them when Lance saw them but it went away as soon as Ash blinked. Lance let him go and dropped back into his seat. He knew he would never forget how somebody's eyes had actually changed color right before his own eyes.

"Wow. Sorry there, Gary. I think I lost consciousness for a second. Did I do anything?"

"No, not really." Gary gave Lance a look telling him to keep quiet.

Lance ignored Gary and moved in close to Ash. He stared at his eyes and his face for signs of change but couldn't find any. As he looked closer he noticed something disturbing. He carefully sneaked a glance in Gary's direction and looked away right away. He couldn't believe it. There's no way it was true. He was going to leave it at that. He was going to never be in the same room as these two at the same time again. In fact he felt like leaving. Right now.

"Gary, I think I'm going to go check up on the other Elite." As thunder and lightning clashed in the background, Lance gave the least amount of propriety as possible and left the room calmly. As soon as he was out the door though, he ran as fast as his legs could take him. Now he knew what had bugged him about Gary's appearance after he first used his powers.

(Break)

Gary had noticed the peek Lance had given him as he was examining Ash just before he left the room. He had no idea what it meant or why it had obviously spooked the man but if it had been important Lance would have told him. "I think we'll just pretend none of this happened okay, Ash?"

"I really don't know what happened so that's all right with me." Ash noticed that Pikachu was turning his head this way and that as if trying to figure out what happened as well. "Are you leaving?"

"Yeah. I think I'll be heading to my rooms now." Gary got up and shook Ash's hand, and stopped mid shake. Ash watched him as his eyes went wide when he looked at their hands shaking. Ash looked at their hands and didn't see anything the matter. Gary must be imagining things he thought. Ash tried to pull away from Gary's hand, except Gary had him in a death grip. Gary's hand started to twitch uncontrollably as his eyes flicked back and forth between Ash's face and his hand. Suddenly, Gary let go of Ash's hand and ran out of the room with lightning on his heels.

"I wonder what that was all about, Pikachu."

(Break)

The next day Ash woke up late. He had felt really tired the night before and couldn't find the reason why. He decided that he'd have breakfast in bed today and called the kitchen for breakfast. A servant brought up a tray pilled high with bacon, eggs and toast. Pikachu sniffed at the tray and decided against it. Ash had counted on this and waited for the next servant to bring up Pikachu's half of the breakfast.

Ash was two bites into his food before the entire Elite Four came barging in. He put down his utensil carrying his third bite as the Elite Four surrounded him while he lay in bed. "What can I do for you guys this morning?"

"Team Rocket is on the move. They're almost through Mount Moon," said Lance.

"Well that's good for them, but why are you telling me? You should all be with Gary planning on what to do next."

"Gary isn't here."

"What?"

"I said Gary isn't here. As next in command you are to be informed of any new developments that need to be dealt with. Do you understand?"

"What? Where's Gary?"

"We don't know," said Agatha. "During the thunder storm last night, some servants going past Gary's rooms heard a loud crash but thought it was thunder. When we went to his rooms this morning, to bring him up to date, we saw that he was no longer there and all the mirrors were in pieces on the floor. After further investigation we found out that he used the teleporter last night. We don't know where he went though."

"Mirrors…?"

"It doesn't matter!" cut in Lance. "All that matters right now is that Gary is gone, you are in charge, and Team Rocket is on the move. Now, get dressed and get down to the Defense Room."

The Elite Four left Ash to do what he needed to do before he went to the D.C.R. Ash, still confused about Gary, went about the motions of getting dressed without thought. There were many reasons that Gary could give for leaving in the middle of the night but none of the ones Ash could think of involved destroying all his mirrors. After telling Pikachu to wait in the apartments, Ash went to the Defense Room as expected of him.

As soon as Ash walked through the doorway he stopped. His eyes found Pallet Town immediately on the map and the dozens of red markers that were around it that weren't there last time. "They moved from Mount Moon all the way to Pallet Town in one night!?"

Every one of the Elite Four stared straight-faced across the room at Bill. He looked right back and shrugged. The Elite Four shrugged and pulled an angry Ash into a corner. Lance, as usual, took the lead. "We're sorry you found out this way, Ash, but Gary thought it'd be better if you didn't know that Team Rocket was right on top of your hometown."

"But it's his hometown too! Why isn't he doing anything!?"

"Because he can't Ash. There's nothing any of us can do. By the time we realized they might actually want Pallet Town they were already there. As it turns out your key cities forgot to include Pallet Town. Soon they'll have easy access to Cinnabar and then Fuchsia. I'm so sorry. Pallet Town will fall within hours."

"No. No it can't be. Gary said everything was ok. Mom would be all right. Oh light my mom!" Horror took over everything in Ash's mind. His mom flashed through his head thousands of times. Over and over again the picture of his smiling mom waving goodbye as he started his journey lanced him with pain. "Mom!" Ash dragged the word out with a cry of terrible sadness. He shoved Lance to the ground and sprinted towards the door. Bruno tried to stop him and almost got his arm broken for his trouble.

He ran wildly through the halls of the Palace with tears trailing behind him as they fell. He didn't know where he was running to but he knew that he had to get away from them all. He ran until he couldn't run any more and ended up in the almost exact center of the Palace. He knew that because he could see the little marble statue of a Pikachu.

Ash had come to know the spot well. Every time he came to the Palace he came here to sit and think for a while. The Pikachu statue reminded him of his own Pikachu every time he saw it. Maybe his Pikachu was a direct descendant. But those kinds of frivolous thoughts were not in his mind this time around. His mom was probably going to die soon. Team Rocket had already plundered and destroyed Pewter so that it might never return to what it had been. He expected them to do the same thing with Pallet. Ash sat down next to the Pikachu and put his head between his knees and sobbed out, "Mom…"

Blackness. Darkness. Shadows. A memory.

A ten-year-old Ash is running down the road to Professor Oak's house in his pajamas. He looks a lot different from the Ash of six years later. His hair is cut out of his eyes, he is a lot smaller, and that air of innocence still surrounds him.

This was the day. This was the day I got my first Pokémon. I may have been late already but I knew they must have had a Pokémon for me. There's the crowd up ahead.

In front of Oak's laboratory a large throng, waving signs and singing cheers, crowds the entrance. It turns out that they are Gary Oaks's family and fan club. Gary Oak himself stands in front of them all wearing a very smug grin.

He was a real jerk back then. He wouldn't even show me his Pokémon. It was just an Eevee. I don't understand why he couldn't show it to me. He said his Grandpa said it was the best one. Turns out I got the best end of that deal. He probably didn't think Gary was ready for my Pikachu.

As the ten-year-old Gary taunts his way out of Ash's reach and drives away, Ash looks on in envy. Professor Oak comes down the stairs from his research lab and brings Ash to that fateful place.

Bulbasaur, Squirtle or Charmander. Those were the choices I had. What would my life have been like if I hadn't thrown that Voltorb alarm clock against the wall? I wouldn't have had Pikachu and I wouldn't be where I am today that's for sure.

And when I walked down those stairs with Pikachu in tow, the one standing at the head of a new crowd is of course, my number one fan.

"Oh Ash I'm so proud of you!"

Hey mom…

"You're finally going to fulfill your dream and start your Pokémon training. But I'm… I'm going to miss you so much."

I'm going to miss you too mom.

"Oh, my little boy!"

Why, why do I have to relive this moment? Right when she's about to die I have to watch her smile at me over and over again! It hurts _so_ much. I love you mom. I may have never told you enough, but I really do love you. You are everything to me. You brought me into this world and now I'm powerless to stop you from leaving. All my dreams fulfilled and I'm unable to help you complete yours. To watch me grow up, to see me fall in love, and to look upon the face of a newborn member of the family. I tried hard to get you all of them and the one you did see shattered in my hands. The only gift I can give you now is that you will never know what happened between Misty and I. To you, we will forever be in love.

(Break)

Somewhere deep in Viridian forest a young league scout ran terrified through the brush. Checking behind him every so often he tried to gauge how far back his pursuer was.

Did Viridian forest always used to be this thick? He thought to himself. If these damn trees keep getting in the way I'm not going to survive this. He looked behind him again and what he saw made him run just that little bit more.

I have to get back to Indigo and tell everyone what I saw at Pallet Town. The world needs to know what happened there. They'll never believe me, but I have to at least try. The scout thought back to only half an hour ago, right before the chase began, and in his mind's eye he could see the shrouded figure surrounded by flames laughing and crying at the same time as he obliterated Pallet Town.

That shrouded figure was the one chasing him through this light forsaken forest. The scout had never really known true fear but whenever he looked back and saw the man chasing him come closer with every step he grew more and more afraid. He knew it wouldn't last much longer, that he was going to die soon, but there was still a chance he could tell someone what he'd seen. Anybody.

Something hard hit him in the back and he felt a jolting pain in his abdomen. He fell to the forest floor and tried to get up but his legs felt so heavy. He looked behind him and saw that his legs were about two feet behind him. That's not right. They should be closer to me than that. He knew he was in shock and he knew he was about to die, but he didn't feel afraid. Maybe that was the shock but even the sight of the man who was chasing him approaching didn't have the same affect it used to.

He reached up a hand to the man and asked him the one question that had been bothering him since he saw the destruction, "Why…?" Then he choked on his own blood and finally passed away.

(Break)

Ash looked up when he heard footsteps coming his way. He choked back his tears and got up as fast as he could. He wiped the remaining tears off of his face and tried to stand tall. He did not want to look weak in front of this woman. "What are you doing here, Misty?"

She was wearing her normal jean shorts, suspenders and orange tank top. When she was younger they made her look childish. All grown up they made a killer outfit. "I knew I'd find you here. You always did love this place." That red hair looked so good when she kept it out of that stupid side ponytail. Then again she always looked good.

"I asked you a question." All she did was smile at him. After seeing his mother smile for hours on end it just made him angrier. "Answer me!"

"I have a question of my own for you, dear. Why are you sitting here crying? Your hometown is going to be invaded. Get over it. You are now acting League Master. You have a job to do." She moved within inches of his face and tilted her head a bit as if she saw something curious. "You've never let anyone down on purpose before, why start now?"

Ash's throat was so tight with the strain of not crying just at the sight of her that all he could get out were hoarse whispers, "I let you down. I don't know how, but I did." She smiled at him and flicked her hair back. She was so beautiful; he couldn't keep his eyes off her.

"That's different. I wasn't counting on you. They are." Abruptly she spun around and started to walk away. Ash tried to grab her wrist but missed and fell to the floor. He got up almost as soon as he fell and watched as she turned a corner up ahead. He ran to that corner and turned it so quickly that he didn't notice Lance until they were in a heap on the floor together.

"Which way did Misty go!?" asked Ash as he tried to untangle himself from Lance.

"Misty? She isn't here, Ash." Lance got a look at Ash's face and knew immediately that there was something going on inside the kid's head. The two of them had finally extracted each other from each other but neither of them showed signs of getting up. "Ash, what's going on? Where did you see Misty?"

"She isn't here?"

"She hasn't come to the Palace since you brought her here last."

A thought struck Ash: did I miss or was she never…? That was a direction his mind wasn't willing to take for the moment. "Let's… let's not talk about this, okay, Lance? This didn't happen. Now what were you coming here for?"

Lance shook his head and murmured something about too many secrets. "I was coming to see you. It's a well-known fact that you come here whenever you're here." Ash shook his head in turn at the same thing the _Misty_ had told him. "We have a plan. We need you to agree to it before we can proceed."

Ash got up and Lance followed suit. "I guess I'll have to come with you to the Defense Room then." Ash motioned for Lance to take the lead and the two of them headed for the D.C.R. "How long was I there?"

"About five hours. I've come to see you three times in that span, but every time you wouldn't budge when I said your name. The place where you grow up is about to be destroyed so I thought I'd give you as much space as you needed. Turns out a visit from… a friend… has done what I could not."

Five hours of torture. Memories haunting his mind and visions haunting his surroundings. Was there no safe refuge? Lance held open the door for Ash to go through and he thanked him. Inside, Ash checked up on Pallet, but there was no change. Bill was still running around trying to keep an eye on everything while the other three Elite were around a table with a small map on it. Ash and Lance headed over there to confer with them.

Bruno gave Lance a nod but he only shrugged. "He was already coming this way when I went to check on him."

Ash didn't say anything different and instead checked out the map they were looking at. It was the inside of Mount Moon. He could see the exit and a few feet inside on one map and the entrance on another. "So what's your plan?"

Bruno pointed to the map that showed the exit of Mount Moon. "We put soldiers and trainers here, on the inside of the exit. They must be very good at sneaking around though. Ones that won't be heard passing within feet of the Rocket army."

"Why do they have to be so specialized?"

"Because we're going to cave them in. Stop Team Rocket right there." Bruno typed some things into the laptop on the table and the map on the big screen started to flash. "With Cerulean cut off to them they'll only be able to hit land from Cinnabar. Which means that if we control Fuchsia we'll be able to completely stop the advance of Team Rocket."

"What about the ones that are in Lavender already?"

"They appear content to wait right there, so we'll leave them alone. It's the only sensible thing to do." Bruno sighed and made sure Ash was paying attention to him. "The only problem with this plan is that the guys who go in won't be able to come out the same way. To survive they'll have to fight through the entire Rocket army to get back here. Because of that the Elite are at a split-decision. Our vote was private so we won't be telling you who was for or against it. When a draw between the Elite happens it's up to the League Master to make the final decision. As acting League Master, that's you. No one else can make the decision now."

His decision to send soldiers to their death. That was what Bruno was asking him to do. It would stop Team Rocket before they gained too much momentum and perhaps save all the lives of Cerulean. It was a cold way to look at it but it really was an 'I kill this many versus they kill this many' type of decision.

Before Ash had much time to think on it a young man ran in and handed a note to Lance. Lance scanned it once, almost put it down, then read it very carefully. "Gary is back," was all he said.

"This changes nothing, Ashura. You still have to be the one who makes the decision. Now that you have been informed as League Master, you must make the decision as League Master." Bruno put his hands on the table face down so that his muscles were shown off through the maroon cloak.

"I hear you, Bruno. I understand. You don't need to show off to make me decide." That's as far as Ash got before Gary walked in. He had his gray hood up and his cloak closed up tight with his arms inside. Not a single body part wasn't covered by his cloak. He didn't say anything; he just went to the main console and switched Pallet Town's color from yellow to red. "Oh light, it happened. Gary do you know if my mom made it out?"

"Ash," grunted Gary hoarsely. "There's something you need to know. The Rockets, they didn't leave anyone alive. It's as if they took pleasure in completely destroying everything. Your house, Oak's lab, the entire village looks as though it's passed through a meteor shower."

"No. Why would they go that far?" Ash could feel his insides churning. A hunger such as he had never felt was prying at his brain. Not the regular hunger for food but for the blood of Team Rocket members. "Bruno, I give the green light for the mission. Gary and I will be going. Alone."

Gary turned around from his study of the map. "What mission?"

"We're going to go kill some Rockets you and I. Call it Pallet Town's revenge. Yes, that sounds like a good name for the mission. I approve the code name."

"By decree the League Master may only leave on official missions with a unanimous yes vote from the Elite Four," began Gary. "With the stunt I just pulled I don't think I'll get it."

"I vote yes," chimed in Lorelei immediately. "It is my belief that you two are perfect for this mission. You are both the strongest trainers we have and you might be the only ones capable of surviving."

"They are just children!" cried out Bruno in outrage. "They may be the strongest we have but this is stupidity!"

"I vote yes," said Agatha. "You two are the League. Without you we would be nothing. Please be careful on your journey. You will need to watch each others backs out there."

"Not you too, Agatha. This is ridiculous," some of the air had escaped from Bruno's sail as the second Elite voted for it. "Lance. Lance you have to see reason. We can't let them go. Especially not alone."

"I vote yes." spoke Lance softly. He glanced at Gary doubtfully then back at Bruno. "They deserve to Bruno. Their hometown was just completely removed from the map. The only thing that can satisfy that now is blood. On this journey they'll get drunk off blood and high off revenge. They are the only ones who can do this the way it should be done."

"I can't believe you're all agreeing to this. They are the League Master and second in line." Bruno shook his head. "Those are all valid reason and I guess it has to be done but you haven't convinced me yet that it is necessary for them to go. I vote yes, reluctantly."

"You're reluctance will be noted, Bruno," said Gary. "Anybody want to fill me in on this plan that I haven't agreed to go on yet but everyone else has?"

End of Chapter 4


	5. Chapter 05, Attack

_**Ash's Dark War**_

By Unknown Bird

Ace Sanchez's Pokemon Master, please read his story before you read mine. I don't want to ruin it for anyone.

Note: Pokemon and its associated characters are copyright by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc, and 4Kids Productions. Valdera is owned by Ace Sanchez.

Chapter 5 – Attack

The next morning Gary and Lance passed by the stadium underneath the League palace as they ascended from the depths. Gary looked at it as they went by from underneath his hood but didn't speak his mind to his walking partner. The pair walked outwards from the middle of the palace until they reached one of the many corridors set up outside. In-between two marble pillars, Gary stopped.

"You know, don't you?" he whispered.

Lance couldn't bear to look at Gary directly and only answered him while watching the sunrise. "I don't know what you're talking about, sir."

"Bullshit. And that's the first time you've called me sir since I told you not to call me that in private. You know, and that means you're the only one I can trust."

"I believe you can trust Ashura."

"When this is happening!? Are you fucking crazy!?"

Lance shrunk deeper into the shadows as the anger of his master radiated off of Gary's body in waves. "You'd be surprised at how great of an ally Ashura would be if you'd just bring him under your wing."

"Oh, I know that," Gary replied sarcastically. "I plan to make him an ally. But I don't like the metaphor of bringing him under my wing. That is not the way it will be done. You have of course noticed the way he gets when Misty is mentioned. You were there during the debriefing."

"Yes, of course. I actually have a little story to add to that as well."

"Later. Soon, I will send Ashura to Saffron to get Sabrina. When she gets here this is what I want you to do…"

(Break)

Ash didn't know what to do. He'd already packed everything he'd need in his brown travel pack, he'd checked Pikachu in and out of the Pokémon Center, and he'd dimmed his rage down to a slow boil. The fact that Gary wasn't as angry about Pallet Town's destruction never entered his mind.

(Break)

For the fourth time in as many days, Ash went past the five hundred guards facing the teleporter. This time was different from all the others. Every other time he felt like his regular self. Maybe it had been because of Valdera, but he had been semi-normal. This time, he was angry, beyond angry. If he wasn't going to do what he was about to do he probably would have been lashing out at everyone and everything.

Gary, strolling beside him still completely covered by his gray cloak, gazed lazily over at Ash. Ash's subconscious knew that it was extremely odd for Gary to hide himself like he was, but the conscious Ash only had room for one thing on his mind. The plan was already in place nevertheless Ash couldn't help going over it one more time. Every time he said it aloud he could see the faces of dying Rockets in his eyes, feel their bones breaking in his hands, hear their cries for ungranted mercy, smell the electrically burnt flesh and taste the blood on his tongue. He relished every second of imagined sensory perception. "When we get to Cerulean we'll head for the gym. If _she_ is there we tell her and her sisters to go to Indigo and wait for your instructions." Gary nodded. He knew it all and didn't feel the need to comment any more. "Afterwards we'll head to the entrance to Mount Moon. Once inside, Pikachu will create a cave-in with us inside then shield it so they can't break through." Gary had originally argued that they didn't have to be on the inside to do this but Bruno had stopped him immediately. The inside of the mountain was so reinforced because of the amount of travelers that something other than a powerful internal blow to the face of the mountain wouldn't do anything. "Then we feast."

"I know what you want to do, Ashura." Gary spoke calmly without any of the blood lust Ash's voice was dripping with. "I have to disagree with an all-out frontal assault. We may be the most powerful Pokémon trainers in the League but you do not have your powers yet and their numbers will be more than we can handle." For the first time Gary had some emotion in his voice: curiosity. "Speaking of which, why _don't_ you have your powers yet? The destruction of Pallet would put you under a lot of stress one would think."

Ash gave Gary a frightening smile. "Oh, I'm not stressed in the least. I was hysterically sad then outrageously angry but never stressed. Now, I'm calm. Happy more than anything else actually."

Gary looked ahead then looked back at Ash. "So you say…" He walked into the teleporter and allowed Ash to input the coordinates for Cerulean. He looked out at the guards from under his hood and saw them all alertly watching the exchange between himself and Ash. They're going to be worthless if Team Rocket sends a couple of Masters through a teleporter, Gary thought. They might win through massive numbers, although it's highly unlikely. Suddenly he could no longer see the guards and instead he saw the inside of Cerulean's Pokémon Center.

"Ash!" the Joy from this Center called out. "I didn't expect to see you here. What brings you to this part of the world with…I'm sorry, I can't see who's with you."

Ash shrugged. "No one important," he said. He went ahead and looked back at Gary. "C'mon. We've got work to do."

"Don't worry, I won't slow you down." After he spoke, he noticed the Joy gasp and bow. "Yes, it is I. Remember, gray is the color of the League Master. Make sure the rest of your family does too."

"I will make sure everyone remembers, Lord Garick," replied Joy.

The pair exited the Pokémon Center without any other disturbances and walked in the general direction of the Gym. "You didn't have to be so crude with her you know."

"What does it matter? As long as I am recognized wherever I go nothing else concerns me."

"You'd be recognized if you just pulled down that hood. I don't think you've taken that thing off since you came back."

"It is a symbol of my position. It should be known."

"Oh yeah?" Ash, still thinking about what was to come began to march a little faster and moved ahead of Gary without realizing it. When another thought intruded on the darker ones he knew he had to do it. "I'm taking the title of League Master." Behind him the gray vanished from Gary's cloak to reveal a dark yellow color. Ash, knowing that the gray was gone, didn't bother to look back. "How's that symbol of yours working out, Gary?"

Gary, looking at the sleeves of his cloak, replied blandly. "Childish as always aren't you, Ashura?"

Ash made a noise through gritted teeth but before the memories could surface he brought his thoughts back to the task at hand. "I relinquish the title of League Master and name Gary my successor." The gray quickly returned to Gary's cloak and the pair continued on in silence.

It wasn't long before they reached the aquarium that was the Cerulean City gym. Without a word, Ash and Gary entered the gym. Right before the doors to the arena Ash stopped. Gary stopped with him and waited for Ash to finish preparing himself for the encounter that could be on the other side of the door. With a stifled sob and a sigh, Ash went through the doors. Gary walked in after him to find the gym leader defending her gym.

"No, Goldeen!" screamed the challenger, a girl of no more than twelve, as her white, water-type, goldfish floated to the top of the water upside down.

"Violet is the winner!" the ref, none other than Violet's sister Daisy, at the side of the pool slashed her arm in Violet's direction. "Sorry kid. Good luck next time."

Ash could not believe his eyes. Team Rocket was only a few hours away and the city didn't seem to care at all. The Pokémon Center was working normally, the people were still walking the streets calmly and the gym leaders were taking challengers! "What the hell is going on here!?"

Lily, the last of the Cerulean triplets, called out from the bleachers, "Hey, Ash! We're, like, defending the gym of course!"

"Why!?"

"The League forces us, duh."

"You do know that Team Rocket is on its way through Mount Moon to destroy your city, right?"

"Of course we do. It's kind of, like, hard _not_ to know that after Pewter."

"And you're still taking challengers, why?"

"We're bored."

"YOU'RE BORED!?" Ash had to physically restrain himself from taking his anger out on the airheads instead of his intended targets.

"Well we, like, had to do something to fill the time until you or someone from the League got here. It's not like they'd just leave us here to rot along with the city you know."

Ash sighed and nodded his head in acceptance. "Now that we're here, here are your instructions."

"Wait!" cried Violet. "Shouldn't Misty hear this too?"

"SHE'S HERE!?"

"Violet," said Daisy. "Don't you remember? She left, like, a few hours ago to meet up with that friend of hers she wouldn't tell us about."

"There was a lot she wouldn't tell us," continued Lily. "Like why you weren't with her. Care to explain?"

Ash was still reeling from the shock of her being here only hours before he was. He felt himself closing off from the rest of the world similar to what he had been doing for a while now. "Argh! Not yet!" he screamed with his hands on his head. I have things I need to do first. No time to dwell right now.

"Well whenever you're ready then," said Daisy. Then, under her breath, "Jeez, worse than Misty when we asked her."

Gary, silent until now, spoke up, "Girls. Your orders are to return to Indigo and go directly to Lance who will instruct you further." The three girls got all bug-eyed and stared at the man in the gray cloak.

"Gary!?" shouted Violet. "Is that really you? What are you, like, doing hiding yourself?"

"It's not hiding. I'm returning the symbolism behind the League Master to the world. Do you understand your instructions?"

"Yes, Lord Garick," said the three in unison. "We understand."

"Good." Gary turned back the way he came. "Ashura and I have things to do. We'll see you in a few days. Come, Ashura."

Ash looked apologetically at the four girls and followed Gary out. "We're going to Mount Moon now, right?"

"Yes."

(Break)

In Viridian City the fires still burned uncontrolled outside the wall created by Pokémon Masters. Inside, _everything_ was still burning. The 'parade ground,' the space between the wall and the Gym, was filled with people training. Elemental attacks of every sort were flying left and right as new and newer Pokémon Masters learned to control their power. There were no instructors in sight. Everyone was left to their own devices. Those that had completed what basic training there was were already out in the field.

Past the explosions and mock battles was what used to be Viridian City gym. Now just known as Rocket H.Q. Inside was a mass of activity to rival that of outside. Hundreds of men and women dressed in formal Rocket uniform, the red 'R' emblazoned on black, were rushing about. At the center of it all was Giovanni. The mid-forties man who had declared war on the world was fashionably dressed in his normal business suit and tie. Seated behind his desk, he would pick up a piece of paper every now and then and read it over. Nothing caught his eye so he waited patiently for one of his underlings to bring him some tangible news that he would have to act upon.

He watched the dance of Rockets with passive eyes hoping he would get to do something today. The last two days had been quite boring for him. He knew how to delegate, but it seemed he had delegated too much and now had nothing to do. When they had attacked Pewter, boy did he have something to do then. He happily went about breaking fingers trying to get people to tell him how four of his new weapons had been killed and one was missing. The only word he had gotten out of the people of Pewter had been from the Joy in the Pokémon Center. She had been quite the nut to crack but he had eventually worn her down. It seemed a young man with black hair, amber eyes, brown forest cloak and slightly above average height and an extremely beautiful, but tattered woman with long blonde hair, wearing all white, about the same height had ordered everyone out of the Pokémon Center before it had blown up.

He had been very, very angry about the blowing up part. The teleporter inside Pewter's Pokémon Center had been a keystone to taking over everything. Now, his army moved a thousand times slower than he wanted and cities weren't falling the way it had been planned. The moment he had gained that little information he had sent out his elite search squads to find anyone matching the description of the blonde. He knew who the young man was. Giovanni slammed his fist on the padded arm of his chair and turned the chair to face the wall behind him.

His office was not as glorious as some people would think he would have it. The wall in which the door was installed was made of elemental-proof glass so he could watch the goings-on of his subordinates. The elemental proofing was just a precaution against any stray attacks from the beginners. It had happened before. The normal walls to each side were not adorned with trophies or oil paintings or any kind of extravagance. Bookcases filled with hundreds of different varieties of reading material took up the left side. On the right side was a collage of pictures of faces with names written underneath. This was Giovanni's personal Wall of Fame. Every Rocket who had performed excellent service was here since the time he had become Leader. Most were dead now but every now and then he could pick out a face whom he saw roaming the halls to this day.

On the back wall though was something that Giovanni had found and had tried for years to translate on his own. He traced his fingers along the glass over the words written in the old language to calm down. It was the prophecy and probably the only true copy left in the world. He knew once he had gotten his hands on it that it was something extremely important. The pictures along the border of Pokémon not like the ones they had now had forced him to think that way. It had taken him a long time to do it alone but he understood the saying of 'It's hard to find good help these days.' This was something he trusted only himself to do and he had done it. Completely translated and partially in use now, the prophecy was his means to victory.

He heard the door open behind him so he turned around to see his second-in-command Jason walk in with a sheet of paper in his hands. "Don't bother handing it to me, just report."

"Sir," the younger man saluted. "We have uh, _taken_ Pallet Town."

Giovanni looked over the man. He knew when Jason stressed certain words that they were not meant to be heard the way they were understood. "What's wrong?"

"It appears someone or some_thing_ got there before us. Nothing is left."

"Nothing?"

"Yes, sir. Nothing."

Giovanni closed his eyes and smiled. No more boredom. He opened his eyes again and looked Jason in the eyes. "With your vast knowledge on these affairs Jason, what do you believe happened?"

"From the photos I've seen the place is completely destroyed. It would be more apt to call it Pallet Crater now. Not even our Masters could do such damage. It is my belief that if I tried to guess what it was, I'd be wrong. I don't know of anything that could do that amount of damage. Your lost Mewtwo couldn't do it."

"So be it. It wasn't us. It wasn't the League. It wasn't a Pokémon. An actual asteroid?"

"No, Sir. There were no traces of extra-terrestrial activity in the area."

"You've been with me for a long time, Jason. You've performed valiantly for me and that is why you are on that wall. I trust that brain of yours almost as much as I trust my own. If you say that there's nothing you can think of that could do the damage, then I believe you." Giovanni's smile faded now that he knew there was really nothing he could do. "At least we have the land Pallet was on"

"Yes, sir."

"When will we begin to get reports from Cinnabar?"

"Half a day to get to the island, half to get back and a day to travel back here. Two days, Sir."

"Good. Anything new from Mount Moon?"

"No, Sir. Everything is going perfectly there. They will be through in a matter of hours now and Cerulean will be yours."

"Excellent. Be sure to keep me updated. Dismissed."

Jason bowed and turned. Before he was out the door, he stopped. "What are you planning to do with Ash?"

Giovanni's face tightened but his voice was under control. "I plan to kill him of course. I've already sent certain people after him."

"You've failed that way before, sir."

"That's why I've made other arrangements."

"Care to share your thoughts?"

"Not at this moment. Let's just say there's no way he's getting out of Celadon alive."

Jason looked back at his master. "Celadon?"

Giovanni just smiled.

(Break)

At the entrance to Mount Moon the top two trainers in the Pokémon League discussed their options.

"I know you said at the teleporter that there's no way we could do this head on but I have to disagree," began Ash. "You're a Pokémon Master and my Pikachu is the strongest of its kind."

"And what happens when we go up against a ground or rock type Master?" I know I'd be fine but I do have to worry about you. Tch, how stupid. If I didn't think there was a way to control you I'd kill you right here. "We have to do this silently. The best scenario for survival would be to not meet any Rockets at all."

"Is that really how you feel? Survival is the best course?"

"The survival instinct in all animals is the strongest one."

"Is that what we've become then, animals?"

You don't want to know what I'm becoming. "We've always been animals, Ashura. Look at us! We're like wolves fighting over a carcass. I am the new alpha male and Giovanni is the old dog who hasn't lost it all yet. I want to keep my fair share of the spoils, but Giovanni is trying to take it from me. Now we're growling at each other and the pack is split in two. Unfortunately he's got more supporters, but I believe my wolves are stronger."

"That is the most disturbing view of the world I have ever heard. The world as a carcass? Two wolves fighting for supremacy to be the alpha male? You're sick."

"That's just the way it is, Ashura. I know I won't be able to stop you from taking your revenge for Pallet Town, but please do it my way." For the first time since he came back, Gary placed his hand on Ash's shoulder. "Your strength is in darkness. You may be able to do very well in hand-to-hand combat, but I've seen you when you're killing silently. Let me tell you, you're scary when you do that."

He looked at the hand on his shoulder and thought back to when he had done as Gary described. He did feel more in his element when it was dark and he was stalking a kill instead of out in the open. "All right Gary. We'll do it your way. I will become the assassin once more."

"That's what I thought." Gary let him go and the two of them walked into Mount Moon. "Do you want to do the honors or should I?"

"Pikachu's got it. Pikachu, just a regular Thunderbolt should do." Pikachu charged up his cheeks and curled into himself.

"Pi-ka-chu!" He unfurled himself simultaneously with an extraordinary electrical bolt from a Pikachu.

The entire inside entrance of Mount Moon lit up and Ash finally got a look inside Gary's hood. He had been waiting for the chance and had been looking Gary's way right before Pikachu attacked. What he saw made him slightly uncomfortable but didn't see the reason why Gary had to cover himself. His hair was a lot darker than it had been. Ash was uncomfortable because he knew Gary's trademark was his hair color. Gary had once said that if he had black hair they would look eerily similar. Turns out he was right. They did look eerily similar.

Ash shrugged it off and watched the last of the cave-in finish its job. He and Gary were now stuck in Mount Moon together with a day and a half's worth of travel and an army's worth of trouble ahead. The dark feelings, blood lust, anger, hate, revulsion and desire for death, came back tenfold with the moment almost at hand.

Gary brought his hand up and a glowing orb of electricity floated above his hand. "It's time," he said. "They shouldn't be too far away. You'll get your chance at revenge soon."

"You mean _we_ will get our chance at revenge soon."

"Yes, _we_ will."

(Break)

Head scout for the Rocket army, Horatio Biffle, was not having a good day. He hated electric and fire-type Pokémon. Unfortunately since he was scouting a cave all the trainers under him were those type users. He brought his hand-held radio up to his mouth and spoke into it, "Tim, have you found out what that disturbance was yet?"

"Regrettably, yes, sir. It appears we've had a cave-in at the exit to the mountain."

"A cave-in? Mount Moon doesn't have cave-ins. It's perfectly safe so that everyone can make it through alive."

"I'm not trying to pull one over on you, Sir. Where I know the exit should be is completely blocked off by rocks. Hold on, I think I see some…"

"Tim?" The radio cut out so suddenly Horatio ordered everyone to get to the exit and find out what had happened. He wasn't head scout for no reason and a radio cutting out suddenly was an alarm in and of itself.

His entire team, including himself, arrived at the scene ten minutes later at almost the same time. Melissa, a fire trainer, was the first one there. Almost immediately she fell to the ground backwards, scrambled to go back the way she had come, and violently threw up. Horatio slowed up a bit and stared in shock as every member of his team slipped, fell, and crawled away from something in the middle of the path out. Slowly, he walked through the water on the ground towards the thing that had his team in such a mess.

The closer he got to it the more he could recognize of it. "Santana," he called to the person closest to the thing, "could you turn up the light coming from your Raichu please."

"I don't think that's a good idea, sir," came Santana's reply.

"I don't care what you think. I want you to do it." With more light Horatio could finally make out what was there. Tim's head was turned to face the opposite direction of his body and he was covered entirely with what Horatio assumed was his own blood. Looking down he realized that what he had taken for water was actually pools of Jim's blood. Some of it might have been the blood of Tim's Electabuzz but he didn't see that body anywhere. His intestines were all pulled out and covered the rocky ground all around him. In fact, something was disturbing about the intestines other than the detail that they were not inside Tim.

"Guys," whispered Horatio. "This is going to sound terrible, but I think there's a message in Tim's intestines." His whole group groaned at this statement. Horatio moved closer to what he thought looked like words. Someone had painstakingly, and gruesomely, maneuvered Jim's insides to say: Look That Way. He was confused for a moment as to which direction the message meant. That is, until he noticed that a dead person shouldn't be able to hold his arm up. Tim's right arm was broken in such a way that it pointed toward the darkness to the right. Horatio whimpered and looked.

(Break)

"You won't have to wait long, Ashura. Someone's coming already."

The smile on Ash's face when Gary said that would have stopped a Dragonite in its tracks. He pointed to the right, "Go over there and get rid of that light." Gary followed Ash's instructions and waited passively for him to begin the deed. "Wait there and don't you dare interfere."

"Remember, Ashura," said Gary. "Become the assassin."

The alacrity with which this person had reacted to the cave-in made it obvious that he was a forward scout. The size of Mount Moon made it impossible for there to be only one scout and Ash wouldn't settle for just one. Plunged into darkness, Ash felt at home. He looked down at Pikachu and could only make out the small glow in the back of his black eyes. "You ready for this little buddy?"

"Pika." There was no hesitation in his reply. The pain his Master had felt when his home had been destroyed had not avoided the bond. Pikachu had felt every searing jolt to his Master's heart. If this was the only way to make his Master, no, his friend, feel better, then he would do it.

Ash could see the light coming before he could discern what was in it. He picked up Pikachu and pressed himself against the new rock formation his Pokémon had created. "Pikachu, Refract." Pikachu squinted and extremely fine threads of electricity formed around the two and they disappeared. Knitted together like the Shield attack the two look exactly alike. The fundamental difference though was in the polarity of the threads. With Shield, the poles knit together oppositely, negative to positive. Refract switches those poles. Since negatives push against negatives this attack requires intense concentration from Pikachu. With the threads pushing each other they also push against anything else trying to get in, including light. In the end, when Tim and his Electabuzz using Flash came into view, they couldn't see the duo.

The radio at the man's side crackled and Ash could hear another man's voice. "Tim, have you found out what that disturbance was yet?"

"Regrettably, yes, sir. It appears we've had a cave-in at the exit to the mountain." Tim moved in closer to the cave-in to examine the extent of the damage.

"A cave-in? Mount Moon doesn't have cave-ins. It's perfectly safe so that everyone can make it through alive."

"I'm not trying to pull one over on you, sir."

Ash pointed at the radio in Tim's hand and whispered a command to Pikachu. "Sniper Bolt, one hundred percent accuracy, minimum power. I have faith you know how much power it'll take to destroy it in one shot."

"Where I know the exit should be is completely blocked off by rocks." Pikachu relaxed and let the Refract go. Tim immediately looked in their direction. "Hold on, I think I see someone." Before he could finish the last word Pikachu pointed his tail that he held in his hands at him and hit the radio with one small bolt of electricity. "Who-who are you?"

"I am the last person on earth you'd want to see right now. Especially with that Electabuzz you've got there. You see, my Pikachu here is excessively good at fighting other electric types. Pikachu, I don't want to see that Electabuzz anymore. It's annoying me."

Pikachu nodded and charged up. Ash recognized the attack right away and knew it wouldn't be a quick process. Before the Electabuzz could attack his friend he got in its line of sight.

"Electabuzz, Thunder his ass!"

The scout's Pokémon reared back and pumped itself up. Instants later it let loose an average looking Thunder in Ash's direction. He side-stepped it contemptuously as it flew over Pikachu to the wall behind them. Electabuzz tried again and again but Ash just kept dodging them, moving further away from his own Pokémon.

"Chuuu," came the menacing growl from the back of Pikachu's throat. Both scout and Pokémon looked at the little mouse and saw a yellow glow surrounding it. The glow became so intense it distorted the view of the Pokémon inside. Abruptly, Pikachu shot forward at such a pace that Tim could only see a yellow streak across his vision. Pikachu made contact with Electabuzz and blew a hole into it. Instead of passing right through the Pokémon, Pikachu stopped inside of it. There, he let loose.

Electabuzz guts flew everywhere. Gary scornfully wiped the little piece that reached him off his face. Ash spread the blood that hit him over more of his body and shuddered in ecstasy. "You," he pointed at Tim, "are mine."

Exhilarated by the first kill, he charged headlong at the Rocket Scout. The scout who was a part of the army that had crushed his hometown, had shattered his dreams and had blown up the only family he had left. Ash let go of his human side and embraced the animal inside.

Tim tried to turn and run. Unfortunately for him he was most definitely not fast enough. Ash pulled his hatchet from his pack then threw the pack aside. His first swing loped off a foot. The scout's scream was intense as he dropped. Music to Ash's ears. Tim tried to stop the bleeding and his cries of pain, but Ash mercilessly cut off the second foot. The shriek from Tim's very soul was felt deep in Ash's. "Thank you," he whispered. A single tear rolled down Ash's face and he smiled at the scout. "That was very beautiful. How much more can you give me?"

Ash grabbed the scout's arm and held it out. "Please. Please stop this," cried Tim.

"And leave you alive with stumps for feet? That would be inhuman. Then again, so is this." Ash raked his hatchet along the skin of the scout's arm. He watched gleefully as the skin peeled off and blood gushed out. Tim screamed so loud that Pikachu had to cover his ears. Ash only moved to the other arm. Once that arm was done he stepped back to admire his handiwork. He didn't like that both arms and legs were drenched in blood but the torso was still a sickly white. "You don't look so healthy here," he prodded his victim's gut. "That color looks terrible on you. Let me fix that."

Ash took a step back and swung with all his might. He buried the hatchet so deep into Tim's stomach he almost hit spine. He yanked the hatchet out to allow everything to spill to the ground. "Oh, Tim! You're beautiful. So much better looking than you were before." Tim had lost the ability to speak, to even scream. He could tell he was dying from blood loss and he was glad the end was near. Ash could see this as well. "Now, now. I see you're at your limit. Before you ruin the end for me I might as well finish you." Ash pulled the man to a sitting position and went behind him. Tim sagged and with the pressure more insides came trickling out through the hole in his gut. "Good bye, Tim. Tell the devil many more will follow after you so make room." Ash placed his hands on both sides of the head and twisted so hard it shifted a whole one hundred and eighty degrees. Ash sighed with pleasure at the snap he felt from his victim's neck.

In the quiet that followed Gary could smell the blood even though he had backed further away. "You think I'm sick?" he asked from the corner.

"I haven't even started yet, Gary. The next ones are yours though."

"How do you know there will be more?"

"Before I blew up the radio I heard him speak to someone. Most likely the leader of the group. With the size of Mount Moon there's no way they'd only have one scout. The rest will come."

"I told you before that we should have the least contact possible. We should leave now."

"I've got you here, Gary. When they find the cave-in and this body don't you think they'll relay it to the main body? We'd have to fight our way out after that because they'd be looking for the guys that did this. Better to remove everyone in the group before they report." Ash kicked a piece of intestine around and an idea took root in his head. "Don't leave the corner. I'll be there in a sec." Ash gripped the hatchet hard and started chopping up intestines. When he was satisfied he placed pieces here and there. Gary couldn't see what he was doing, but he didn't think he wanted to know. Ash grabbed the half-skinned right arm that was hanging limp at the body's side and held it vertical towards Gary. He jammed the arm into the shoulder socket with all his strength. When he let go the arm didn't drop.

"Did you really need to do that?"

Ash and Pikachu ran to hide with Gary in the darkness. "You'll see."

The three of them watched silently as one by one the other scouts came in to see the carnage. Most couldn't get up after falling down. Only one of them appeared to be able to get close and not suffer mental harm. He was much older than all the others and had leader written all over him. He barked some inaudible orders and the Raichu nearest Tim's body Flashed brighter. When the leader got closer Ash could see the pallor of his skin go deathly white and knew he could see the entrail words. When he slowly looked their way Ash smiled.

"Now, Gary."

Gary reached to his belt and pulled out a Pokéball. "Go, Jolteon. Pin Needle." A yellow dog-like Pokémon popped out from the Pokéball. Yellow spikes covered its entire body and with the command they bristled.

"Jolt!" Hundreds of tiny needles launched from Jolteon and embedded themselves into the vital spots of human and Pokémon alike. No one lived to tell the tale.

Gary recalled his Jolteon into its ball before striding out to survey the scene. "This didn't need to happen, Ash."

"It felt so good though. Anything that feels as good as that has to be done."

"You could have killed him the way I asked you to. Why didn't you 'become the assassin' as you put it?"

"There was no way I was going to quickly and silently kill the first one." Ash gave him a look of disgust. "What is wrong with you? These people are a part of an army that killed your Grandfather and destroyed our hometown. Where is the passion? Where is the _hatred_?"

"I told you before: I'm going to try and come out of this alive. I need to think about survival before revenge. Anyways since these are the forward scouts the main body shouldn't be too far away. We have to leave this place."

"Whatever you say, sir," came Ash's sarcastic reply. Gary's electric ball returned and they marched deeper into the mountain.

(Break)

Ash sensed a Golbat glide over their heads but didn't feel threatened. This was a mountain after all and Golbats and Zubats were all over the place. Unbeknownst to the two of them, this Golbat belonged to the Head Scout. He wasn't Head Scout for no reason. Wherever he went this Golbat followed. Attached to its head was a camera with over two hundred hours of digital recording capability.

It didn't take long for the Golbat to reach its destination: the leader of the Rocket army. Grant looked up and observed what he really didn't want to see right then. Horatio's Golbat returning could only mean disaster for the scouts. After Pewter he knew the League wouldn't sit idly by and let them have Cerulean as well but he didn't think they'd be stupid enough to directly attack his army.

Horatio was a smart man and talented too, thought Grant. It must have taken a lot of highly trained assassins to kill him and his group. The Golbat landed beside him and he knelt down to grab the disc. He pulled out his portable player and inserted the disc. Grant re-wound the last ten minutes and pressed play.

Grant stood there, stunned, as he watched the horrors on the tape. The Golbat had captured what appeared to be the scene of a massacre. Horatio had come upon the body of an extremely mutilated scout and then was killed by something in the dark. When he thought he couldn't be surprised any more, two, TWO, men were illuminated by a ball of light held in one man's hand. The man who held the ball was wearing a Masters cloak. "League Masters," Grant murmured, shocked. "No, only one has a cloak of a Master. The other is wearing a normal forest cloak. But, gray, what the hell element does that correspond to?" As Grant looked closer he saw something that made him call over 'the man.'

"What," grunted 'the man' when he got to his side.

"What does that look like to you?" he asked, pointing at the bottom of the screen.

'The man' glanced at the spot Grant was pointing at. He shrugged. "Looks like a Pikachu, what of it?"

"Take a look at the guy it's with."

'The man' tried to be nonchalant again but instead his gaze was riveted to the screen when he saw the face. "Ash Ketchum," he whispered reverently. "We're sent to hunt him down and he comes to us. The shadows be praised."

(Break)

Ash, Gary and Pikachu had traveled a quarter of the way through Mount Moon before Ash snapped. "Where the hell is everyone!? We haven't met anyone since the scouts and you keep telling me to, 'turn right here' or 'take the path to the left,' when _I'm_ the one who's supposed to be navigating." Then it dawned on Ash and he grabbed Gary. The ball Gary had been carrying extinguished and plunged them into darkness. Ash shoved him against the wall and shouted in his face, "You bastard! You're sensing where they are and finding ways to avoid them!"

Gary smirked and although Ash couldn't see it, he could hear it, "I knew you were stupid but I thought you'd figure it out a lot sooner than this. Especially when I told you to take that turn that added almost an hour to our journey." Gary brought his hands inside Ash's arms and, with his forearms, broke Ash's grip on his cloak. Ash tried to regain his hold but Gary wouldn't let him.

"For all that is holy, Gary," Ash sobbed. "Why won't you let me do it?" Ash sagged against Gary's chest. "All I want to do is avenge our families." Ash pounded his fist weakly against his leader. "Why are you acting like it's too much to ask?" he demanded with force, then lost it. "I can't take much more of this. I can feel this thing inside me getting hungrier and hungrier and it's gnawing at my soul."

Gary blinked. "That was pretty deep, Ash. But it's for the good of the world that we do it this way."

Ash understood that Gary thought he meant what he said metaphorically but it wasn't. He really could feel something eating away at his soul. He would sometimes lose consciousness for no reason at all and 'wake up' to find he had traveled a bit further from where he had been. Every time it happened he found he traveled more and more. Whenever he looked at Pikachu after it happened he could tell his Pokémon was going through the same thing. Pikachu would look around to check how far he had gone then look curiously at his master.

"I mean it, Gary. I have to kill something soon before I completely lose it."

"With all the twists we took it must be time for us to eat. Let's sit here, eat our supper then sleep."

Ash didn't like the sound of this idea. "With the army so close? Are you crazy?"

"We'll take turns at watch." Ash could feel Gary's eyes boring into his own from above but didn't back down. "You will take first watch and I will go into my normal 'deep sleep.'" He spoke the last two words not to Ash but down the tunnel.

A bright flash of light blinded the pair together. "Comforting your lover there, boy?" asked a voice so deep drops of water fell from the stalagmites above. "Don't you worry about that deep sleep either. I'll make sure you don't wake up ever again."

"The deep sleep I mentioned was a warning to you." Gary looked over at the light and his eyes flashed. "You should have heeded it."

"Gary?"

Gary reached around and hugged Ash's head closer to his chest. He smoothed Ash's hair back and spoke softly, "This is my gift to you. I felt him coming as you broke down and decided to let you have your fun. Go get him, kid."

He smiled gratefully at Gary then distanced himself. He quickly wiped away his unshed tears and prepared for battle. "Pikachu, Flash his Flash away."

Behind him Pikachu lit up the tunnel better than whatever Pokémon the man with the deep voice was using. A Charmeleon it turned out. The Charmeleon appeared quite small before Ash realized it wasn't that the Pokémon was small, but that the man was huge. "Wow. You're pretty big."

"Well rounded is what I say." The man said with a sneer. A large sneer at that. Everything about this man was large and every adjective of large you could think of. An afro, three times the size of his head, brushed against a stalagmite every now and then as he moved forward. Pebbles leaped off the ground with each step. There was no way he was less than six hundred pounds. The Rocket attire he wore was stretched to its limit and the arm of the 'R' was hidden in such a way as to make it look like he had a 'P' on his stomach. "You going to protect your boyfriend? Maybe if you live I'll let you know what a real man feels like." He gave Ash a look over. "You're girly enough for my tastes."

"Just because you caught me at a weak moment don't believe for a second that I am weak."

"Oh, no. I don't think you're weak at all. That's why," he began while withdrawing two Pokéballs. "I'm not going to go easy on you and your little yellow rat. Go, Onix and Dugtrio!"

From the first Pokéball a giant rock snake appeared. Massive boulders linked together slithered around as it raised its snake-like head as high as it could get in the tight confines of the tunnel. Out of the other ball the evolved form of Diglett immediately dug into the soft surface of the worn path. "Onix and Dugtrio, Dig!"

The Onix dove to the right of the tunnel and dug right through to the path on the other side. The Dugtrio went down, down, down. "The glaring weakness behind the Dig attack," started Ash as he sprinted to Pikachu's side. "Is that you know exactly what's coming." Pikachu jumped to his back and Ash placed his hands on both sides of the tunnel. When he felt the vibrations at his feet he jumped back just as the Dugtrio popped up and tried to Slash his ankles off. "Using two Pokémon to Dig is a better strategy which allows one digger to be the decoy and force the target to move to the true attack point. But if you know that, you can escape, if not easily, with no damage to vital spots." As soon as Ash landed he fell to the ground and felt dirt hit his back as the Onix punched through the left side to the right side.

The Onix gave a roar of frustration as it circled to attack again. "You're forgetting something though," mocked the fat man.

Ash looked up and saw a large flame come hurling at him. Unable to dodge in time, he grabbed Pikachu by the scruff of the neck and tossed him above the flames. He curled into the fetal position to protect his face just as the Flamethrower hit him. Heat, like nothing he had ever felt before, burned every inch of his clothing clawing to get at his exposed skin.

Gary, who had remained inactive until now, started to step forward. Pikachu, still airborne, twisted to face him. He looked him straight in the eyes and shook his head once. Surprised, Gary stepped back again. Pikachu turned again and shot a Thunder in the direction of the flames. The Charmeleon cut its Flamethrower and dove away from the retaliation.

Pikachu landed on all fours with his tail erect beside Ash. He took a quick glance to see that Ash wasn't hurt too badly and charged right at the Charmeleon. The Charmeleon hopped to its feet and prepared to dodge another electric attack. What it didn't expect was the small Pikachu to keep coming and leap at the last second to punch him in the teeth.

"Pi!" Pikachu continued his assault with a roundhouse kick in the exact same spot. "Ka!" Just before the fire lizard hit the ground Pikachu flipped in mid-air and whipped his tail in its opponent's eyes. "Chu!" Blood oozed down the Charmeleon's face as it lay there unconscious.

So quick was this mugging that Onix and Dugtrio hadn't even come around to attack for the second time. "Unexpected," mumbled the Rocket looking down at the mouse beside him where his Charmeleon had stood. "But still within acceptable losses." The Onix exploded out of the ground and grabbed a smoking Ash in its mouth. The Onix held Ash gently by the mid section with its teeth. "If you want your master to live I suggest you… This is not within acceptable losses."

Seeing his master in danger Pikachu had done the only thing he could think of that wouldn't kill Ash along with the Onix. He scampered up the fat man to his head, stuck a claw in his ear and charged threateningly.

Ash groaned, the first noise he'd made since before being burned, as he saw the predicament they were in. Instead of trying to make a deal Ash clasped his hands together and locked his feet. He rammed his fists down at the teeth holding him while at the same time flipped his feet backwards into the teeth above him. Both upper and lower molars disintegrated. Ash slid out of the mouth of the Onix with the force of his attack as it thrashed about in agony. The Onix roared and dug away from danger.

"You're good," Ash's burnt clothes were hanging only by threads and blistered skin could be seen underneath, "But not good enough. If you were four hundred pounds less you probably could have punched Pikachu off your shoulder while I escaped, but it's too late for what ifs now."

"How are you able to move? I may be a rock trainer but I trained my Charmeleon as well as any fire trainer would. I didn't even hear you scream as the flames hit you."

Ash looked pityingly at the fat man, or at himself? "That pain was nothing compared to the agony I feel everyday thanks to _her_. Blow him away, Pikachu."

Not as gruesome or as painful a death as Tim's, the fat man's head exploded.

(Break)

The Dugtrio of the fat man did what it does best: it dug. It dug and dug and dug until it found the army they had been traveling with. It searched the hundreds of ranks until it found its target and hurried over to 'the man.' It poked 'the man.'

'The man' looked down. "So that fat ass, Tyson failed eh? Which way were they heading?" Dugtrio pointed back where the army had come from. "The exit. Interesting." The Dugtrio started to leave when he felt something sharp decapitate his three heads. "You're no longer needed."

'The man' slowed and let the rest of the army pass him by. When the final straggler had passed he left for the exit.

(Break)

"My gift turned out to be almost more than you could handle." Gary and Ash had only moved far enough away that the stench coming from the fat man didn't reach them. They had taken a strategic break to patch up Ash's wounds and eat.

"Well it's what I get for being so cocky. I thought I had all the angles figured out with the Dig attack." Ash shrugged. "I forgot about the Charmeleon."

"It's always what you don't know that kills you."

"To quote a certain blonde, 'fighting the unknown is a fast way to die.'"

"Smart girl."

"Smart woman. She's older than us. I put up with your 'kid' shit because I _am_ technically younger than you." Ash tried to get up but squinted instead and held his side.

"You're not ready to move yet. It's about time we slept anyways. I'll take first watch while you recover."

Ash didn't see the point in arguing and pulled his sleeping bag out of his pack. Once inside it, it didn't take long for him to pass out.

Pikachu, who had been flashing the entire time, turned off and lay down beside his master. Gary brought his orb into existence again He sat down opposite to Ash and glared at his face. After a few minutes he began to mumble to himself. "I am unnecessary, am I? With the true child born the first becomes obsolete. An abomination to this world, unfit for existence." Gary heaved a sigh and leaned back. "Because of you, Ash, I've had no reason to exist since the day I was born. I will make you pay for that, I will make the world pay. I can't allow Team Rocket to destroy this world because that's my job. For that I'll need your help, mister savior. So whenever you need a shoulder to cry on, I'll be there. Whenever you need a friend, I'll be there. Whenever your strength isn't enough, I'll be there. When the time comes for this world to end, I want you there." Gary got up and went as close to Ash's ear as he could. "Just you try and stop me," he whispered.

Gary straightened as he sensed Rockets nearby. "Time to go hunting. Go, Jolteon." The spiky dog returned and followed its master. Gary headed towards the location of at least a dozen Rockets all together. Where the tunnel began to merge from two different directions Gary could hear the Rockets through the wall.

"I told you we were lost," said one voice.

"Would you just shut up?" came another.

Struck by a wicked idea, Gary backed to the opposite wall the sounds were coming from. With an electrically charged boot he smashed the dividing wall of the tunnel. Chunks of rock imbedded themselves into the Rockets closest to the explosion making them cry out in pain. When most of the dust settled Gary pulled himself through the hole he had made to the other side. He located the Electric and Grass masters immediately, their bright cloaks clashing with the dark hues of Mount Moon. They were on the ground apparently dead. The rest of the group was staring wide-eyed in the direction of the man in the gray cloak who had just killed two people with one attack. They were even more shocked when they saw a glowing ball of electricity spark above his hand.

"Who are you?" whispered a couple of Rockets at the same time.

Gary shrugged. "No one important." He raised his ball to his face and blew it out. Darkness enveloped the absolutely terrified ten remaining Rockets. What was worse was that they had no means to bring back the light. The Electric Master had been the one keeping the dark at bay and now he was gone. Gary softly slid seamlessly around to the Rocket at the back of the pack. He bent over the woman and whispered gently in her ear. "You smell nice. Come with me and I'll keep you safe from what I'm about to do to your comrades here."

The woman nodded her acceptance instantaneously. She turned to face him. "I'll do whatever you want just please don't kill me," she squeaked breathlessly.

"Where is he!?" shouted one of the Rockets nearest the hole. "Does no one else have a light!?"

"I'll let you borrow mine." Nine heads snapped to the back of the group. "Jolteon, Flash." Gary's Jolteon, who had stayed on the other side, jumped through and lit up the tunnel. The way the shadows crisscrossed across Gary's body made him appear much larger and foreboding. He was positioned half behind the woman with his head just over her shoulder. He took a step to clear himself of her body and crouched. He leaped towards the rest of the Rockets, his cloak flowing behind him in the air. The first one went down without a shout when his voice box was pulled out of his throat. The second one blocked the initial attack but couldn't stop an electrical fist through the stomach.

The last attack made Gary pause. He looked at his flickering hand curiously. The rest of the Rockets didn't care what made him stop just that they had a chance to defend themselves now. Pokéballs were pulled from their belts and Pokémon were released in front of their trainers. "Atta..!"

"Wait!" Gary held up his hand. "I'm thinking here!" Alarmed, the Rockets and their Pokémon froze. Inside his head Gary's thoughts were running a mile a minute. When my element is used in conjunction with my physical power they feed off each other and create devastating attacks. I can also mold my element into a physical form such as my globe of electricity. What if I…

Beyond petrified already, the Rockets' fright level went up another notch when Gary created a katana out of pure electricity and held it in his two hands. "Not good," said the Rocket closest to Gary.

"Cool. Let's see what it can do." He strengthened his hold on the three-foot blade and pulled it back. He punctured the sword right through the heart of the Rocket who had spoken. Where a normal katana would lodge against the rib bones and be hard to pull out, this one slid as smooth as silk out of the dead man's chest with a spray of red. "Excellent. Jolteon, turn off the lights." When Jolteon went out the blade and Gary's flaring eyes became the only sources of light, dim as they were.

"Everyone attack now!" The Rockets called out to their Pokémon to perform their most powerful attacks. They all watched in horror though as Gary spun his electric katana in front of him and knocked away all the assaults.

What had begun as a monstrous show of force ended with grace. Gary danced his way through his assailants as he had been taught long ago by Koga and other masters of the blade. He had whined at the beginning when they told him he had to learn. Why learn something stupid like sword-play when his Pokémon would protect him from everything? He _was_ the best Pokémon trainer in the world after all. Every time he said that though they pointed out that Ash was the best Pokémon trainer in the world and there would come a time when maybe he didn't have a Pokémon with him. He would learn the sword of his choice, he was told, so that he could defend the League and the land. He had chosen the slim and lithe katana.

When he stopped, the remaining Rockets and their Pokémon were on the ground sliced to pieces. He let the mental image of the sword disappear and the real thing did as well. The light went out with it. Just before Gary could create some new light there was movement to his left.

"Ughh," said the Electric Master groggily. He slowly got to his hands and knees. He shook his head a couple times to clear the cobwebs and opened his eyes. When nothing changed he blinked. Still nothing. Then he remembered that he was the light. His whole body glowed and he could finally see again. What he saw made his breath catch in his throat. Right beside where his head had been was the decapitated body of his best friend. He choked back tears and glowed even brighter with anger. "Whoever did this is going to pay," he murmured to the ground.

"You mean me?" Gary had remained stock still as the Master moved and he hadn't been noticed. "Well, it's a nice thought but I already have someone here who wants to kill me. He doesn't know it yet but for now that's best. Goodbye. Jolteon, Pincushion."

The spikes on Jolteon's body elongated until they reached three inches. Then he rolled into a ball and charged right at the Master on the ground. The Master tried to shoot bolts of electricity at it but they missed every time. Jolteon came upon the man quickly and his needles shredded the Master's skin to tiny scraps. Rivulets of blood poured out of the body and the dead man became unrecognizable he had lost so much skin.

Gary checked the Grass Master for a pulse and found none. There was not going to be a second surprise. He pulled out his Pokéball and returned Jolteon in a flash of red. He sauntered over to the woman he had spared and stood in front of her. She was just as pretty as he had pictured in his mind's eye. Five foot nine, one hundred and twenty pounds, pert breasts, an attractive face framed by short pink hair and a button nose. "What's your name?"

"It's Laura, sir." She paused for a moment and appeared to struggle with herself. "If I may ask, sir, what is your name?"

"I'm no one important, remember?"

"I don't believe that for a second, sir. You must be a great man to have dispatched my… group as easily as you did."

Gary raised his arms to form a 'W' as if to shrug off the compliment. "Well, since you asked so nicely, the name's Gary. Gary Oak. You can call me Lord Garick though."

The woman went perceptibly taut. She shook with deeply etched fear. Her heart beat a thousand times faster than when he had come behind her. When you fight the unknown at least you think you have a chance. But when you know for certain you're up against impossible odds… that destroys the soul even more. The only thing worse than being captured by Lord Garick would have been to be caught by his rival and the true League Master Ash Ketchum.

"The only reason you know my name is because I'm sure my traveling partner, Ash, will be too stupid to keep his mouth shut."

Laura fainted.

(Break)

Bruno stalked the halls of the League Headquarters like the giant he was. The minute he had voted 'yes' despite all his thoughts against it he had gone to the nearest teleporter. He had teleported to the League Headquarters outside Victory Road from the Palace so he could receive news about the mission as soon as possible.

The first bit of credible news had come from the Palace when three of the four Waterflowers had ported in. They whined and complained about Gary being such a jerk and then about their accommodations. Soon they were complaining about how they didn't have any powers yet but _Blaine_ had his. Lance, the smart man that he was, took them to the docks and told them to oversee everything there.

The second piece had come from some Cerulean citizens trickling in every now and then. They said that since Mount Moon had caved-in most Ceruleans were staying in their city. Bruno shook his head every time he heard that. Just because Team Rocket couldn't come through Mount Moon didn't mean they couldn't come through some other direction. It made his blood boil that some people could be so stupid. His form flared maroon for a second before he calmed down.

What angered him the most though was that they _couldn't_ protect these people. The League was so undermanned compared to Team Rocket that they had to let some cities fall so some could live. Pewter and Pallet Town being prime examples. He sensed something familiar and warm coming his way and he turned to see what it was.

There, striding sensuously toward him, was his wife Lorelei. He smiled at the sight of her. He looked closer at her and smiled even wider. The reason she was walking like that was not to appear sexy but clutching her leg was his five year old son Junior. Bruno went back on his heels and opened his arms. Junior smiled as wide as his father and ran into his huge arms.

"Whoa big fella!" mocked Bruno. "If you don't watch it you'll make daddy fall."

Junior just hugged him tighter.

"He missed you, love," said Lorelei. "You shouldn't have left so quickly."

"You know my thoughts about this mission. I wasn't going to stay idle at the Palace." He stood up and held Junior in one arm while he held on to his neck.

Lorelei moved closer and ruffled her son's hair. "That may be true but your family always comes first. Whether it be me or JT here."

"Of course." Bruno leaned down and gave Lorelei a loving peck on the top of her head. "I'd love to give you more but the thing here is getting big and heavy."

"I'm not as big as you, Daddy," laughed Junior.

"And why aren't you?" laughed Bruno in turn. "Grow young man, grow! Become as big and strong as your father and marry a woman as beautiful your mother." He threw his child in the air and caught him above his head with both hands. Bruno spun around and around on the spot as Junior shrieked in delight and Lorelei shook her head and smiled.

Bruno stopped and put his wobbly son on the ground. Junior tried to take a step but fell to the ground instead and laughed. "Daddy always makes me fall down!"

Lorelei helped her son up and held him close to her legs. "Why don't you go find someone to play with, honey. I'll be with you after I speak to Daddy."

"Okay! Is Pinhead here?" Lorelei pointed down the hall a ways to a guard standing stiff at attention. "Hee hee!"

"Pinhead?" asked Bruno as he watched his son run as fast as his little legs could take him down the hall.

"It's his nickname for Stevens," sighed Lorelei exasperated. "He's got so many medals 'pinned' to his dress coat that JT prefers that name over boring old Stevens."

Lorelei embraced him tightly around the waist and he brought his arms up around her to reciprocate. He knew she felt safer when his large arms encircled her frame like this. Whenever she needed comforting she came to him in this way. "What's wrong, my love?"

Instead of answering she just pulled herself tighter against his body. Their ice-blue and maroon cloaks mingled together just as tightly as they were. Finally, Lorelei let go and looked up at him. "What happens if we lose this war?"

Stunned by the question Bruno fumbled wildly for an answer. "Well, Team Rocket will rule the world."

"And what is so wrong with that?" Bruno's jaw dropped at that. "What I mean is, so many innocent people are dying just because we're fighting back. If we surrendered wouldn't that save so many more people than we could if we fought?"

"You're talking crazy, Lorelei. With Team Rocket in charge many more would die in the end. They would rule with martial law. Anyone not a part of Team Rocket would be subjugated and more than likely we'd be killed to prevent any uprisings."

"And our son?" Bruno finally saw what she was getting at. She was frightened for her son's life.

"He would be killed as well." Lorelei threw daggers of ice through her eyes at him. "I'm not just saying that. He would become a symbol of what was. The son of two of the Elite. There is no way they'd let him live."

Lorelei returned to his arms and sobbed silently. "Then we must win. For our son we must do everything in our power to win."

"Not just for our son, Lorelei, but for the generations to come." With his thumb he wiped away the tears from Lorelei's face. "Don't worry, we will win. We aren't called the Elite Four and Pokémon Masters for nothing. We are the five most powerful Pokémon trainers in the world. Six if you include Ashura."

"Do you think those two will make it out alive?"

"If anyone can do it they can. I still think they shouldn't have gone though." Bruno frowned as he saw Stevens walk up the hall heading towards them. Junior was at once tailing him and leading him. Running in front and then pushing him from behind, Junior was hurrying Stevens along. "Whoa, boy, what's the matter?"

"Pinhead said he needed to talk wit you hur-hur-. I can't say it."

"Urgently," helped Stevens.

Lorelei bent down and picked up Junior. "Fill me in later, baby." She gave him a kiss that promised more. "I'll take Junior back to the Palace."

Bruno watched her go silently before turning to his good friend. "Urgently you say. Does it concern our wayward Leader?"

"No, this time it has to do with his traveling companion. He almost destroyed Cerulean."

"What are you talking about?"

"He forgot to put up the electric shield that would stop the Army from digging through. Thankfully we were prepared for something like that and Blaine was already on the scene. He blasted the cave-in with so much firepower nothing short of a Mewtwo could get through there."

"Good, that's good. Now we play the waiting game."

(Break)

Ash awoke to the sound of Gary returning with someone trailing him. Alert immediately, Ash ripped off his sleeping bag and stood up. Gary had his ball of electricity again and Ash could clearly see the pretty girl in the Rocket clothes behind him.

"What is this about?" demanded Ash. "We're trying to kill these people and you bring one of them here?"

"I've spared her life and now she owes me."

"What do you mean spared?" Ash's eyes widened. "There were more nearby!? Why didn't you tell me?"

Gary sat down in the same spot he had occupied before and held up the wall. The girl went beside him and hung her head. "You needed your rest. With those injuries I'm surprised you can still move. You were almost burned to death by a Charmeleon for light's sakes."

"What about the girl?"

"Oh her?" Gary smiled slyly. "She's no one important."

Ash's eyebrow twitched. "Don't evade me like that. Who is she?"

"Ashura this is Laura. Laura, Ashura. There, happy?"

"Of course not! Why is she here?"

"Since you can't seem to think on your own I'll tell you. There are the obvious reasons of course. She's part of an army bent on ruling the world so we can question her about that. She makes a good hostage. The reason I chose her though is because, well, look at her."

Ash did just that. He looked closer at the girl, she looked only fifteen or so, and he had to admit Gary had good taste. She was beautiful. Not nearly as beautiful as Valdera but she was up there. "All right I agree with those reasons. I have a question for her though. How old are you?"

"I'm twenty-seven," mumbled the girl.

Even Gary appeared shocked at this news. "You look so much younger though!" spluttered Ash.

"Well you look a lot older than sixteen, Ashura, or should I say Ash Ketchum?"

Ash went dead-eyed and glared at the girl. "Good for you. You figured out who I am."

"Well it's not that hard considering there's only one Ash in the world who would be out killing Rockets with the League Master." Something about that answer didn't sit too well Ash.

Gary felt it too. "So Giovanni knows Ashura is hunting Rockets? What has he done to try and prevent him from killing more?" Laura went silent. Gary moved his ball in front of her face. "Now, now. You're a defector. If you want to live much longer you'll answer our questions quickly and truthfully."

Laura started to object but fell silent again. Then she sniveled and went on. "There was a rumor going around the ranks that there was someone with us who was guarding us. If Ash showed up, it was said, this person would kill him before he killed any of us. No one knew his name or even knew what he looked like. Just that he was there."

Gary looked pointedly at Ash. "The assassin has an assassin on his tail. Do you know if he is a Master?"

"I don't know anything about him. Just that he must be strong if he was to defend us against a trainer of Ash's caliber."

"Ash's caliber or not we should get moving." Gary stood up and held his hand out to Laura. She accepted it and stood beside him. "We still have a day's worth of traveling to do. You look like you're healed enough to walk. Let's go."

Ash just grunted and rolled up his sleeping bag. He placed it in its slot in his pack and let Pikachu hop to his lazy spot inside his pack. He followed behind Gary and the gi… woman as they trudged their way through the mass of twists and turns that encompassed Mount Moon. Well at least Gary had his own private revenge party. Ash felt a little better about Gary now that he knew Gary would go out of his way to kill their families' killers.

Ash still wasn't satisfied though. He had been allowed to let loose once but that wasn't enough. He still felt the darkness inside of him constricting his insides. The pain of his burns had helped to keep his mind off it for a time but now there was nothing else to dwell on. There was a long march ahead of him and he didn't like the odds of him making it out the same as he had come in.

(Break)

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"I love you more."

"I love you the most." Erika giggled girlishly at the game. They were at the most expensive restaurant in Celadon and they had drunk more than their fair share of wine. She enjoyed roving her eyes over her perfectly manicured man. He was dressed in a three-piece black and forest-green tuxedo that matched perfectly with her moss green strapless dress. Her dress tightened over her thighs as she shifted to get closer to him. His name was Eric and it wasn't a coincidence that her name was Erika. She loved this man with every fiber of her being. She loved that he loved plants as much as she did. She loved that he loved this city as much as she did. She really loved that he loved her as much as she loved him. Which was why she wasn't surprised when he pushed his chair away and went down on one knee in front of her. She only laughed, cried and hugged him.

"Just wait, Erika, please!" Eric said smiling and placed her back on her chair. He wasn't the most handsome man, or the strongest, but his black flowing hair and those wonderful green eyes made her weak in the knees. "When I was eighteen I was told most days that I resembled a male Erika, the gym leader of Celadon. Everything I loved, she loved I was told. So, after hearing this for two years, I traveled from Fuchsia to see this gym leader and fell instantly in love. The rest of the story you know because you lived it. The last year has been the happiest of my life and I wouldn't trade it for anything." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the most gorgeous emerald diamond Erika had ever seen. "Erika, will you marry me?"

Erika teared up at the words she'd been waiting to hear since the day she met him. She had known as well that he was the one for her. She attacked him with kisses while shouting, "Yes!" at the top of her lungs. The rest of the clientele at the restaurant clapped softly for the new husband and wife and returned to their food. They had fallen together to the floor with Erika on top staring deep into his eyes so full of love like her own. "We need to go home. Now," she whispered.

Still smiling, Eric replied, "Why my dear wife, aren't you being a bit forward tonight."

Those words made her gasp and want him all the more. "'My dear wife'. I love the way that sounds coming from your mouth, dear husband."

"Well if you insist," Eric tried to sound against the idea but couldn't keep the smile of pure joy from his face. "First you'll have to get off me."

Erika blushed and stood to let her fiancée, her FIANCEE, up off the sleek red carpet. She was about to head for the door when something made her pause. She pointed to the dance floor, "You said we were going to dance tonight. Are you going to go back on that promise now?"

He smiled sneakily at her. "Who was the one wanting to rush out of here?" Erika blushed all the more. "If it is what my lady wishes, we shall dance." He led her around the tables to the empty dance floor. The band was playing some ballroom dancing tune and Erika expected him to just get it over with. Eric was not a graceful man. Instead he asked her to wait right there and he went up to the band. When he came back he grabbed her and held her close.

"What did you say to the band?"

"You'll see."

But she didn't see, she heard. What she heard made her gasp and cry deeply with true happiness into his shoulder. The band was playing their song. The song that had been playing in the background when they had first kissed all those months ago in her perfume shop. She was further shocked when he started to dance. He was doing it perfectly, without any of the hesitation he once had. She just cried all the more. "I love you so much," she bawled into his shoulder.

He kissed the top of her head. "I love you too. Don't you ever forget it. There's nothing I wouldn't do to make you happy."

She looked up at him with teary eyes. "Make love to me. That's what would make me happiest right now. Make love to me."

"Yes, ma'am." He picked her up and carried her out the doors of the restaurant. He set her down when they were outside and gave the valet his stub. The man returned quickly with his car. The minute they got inside though Erika's phone, which she had left inside the car, began to ring.

"Hello? Hi, Mary. No, I haven't heard anything about Team Rocket. I've been away on vacation with Eric. We just got back a few hours ago and went out for dinner." As they pulled out, Eric gripped her hand in his and she smiled at him. "They've done WHAT!?" Eric almost swerved off the road at Erika's shout. "Oh, light." Erika could feel the stress in her mounting as she thought of all the dead people in Pewter and what could become of her beautiful city if they made it through Saffron.

"Honey, you're glowing!" Eric did swerve off the road this time and stopped. He ran his hands over her body to make sure nothing was wrong but Erika was still in shock. The phone dropped from her hands and she grabbed at Eric. She held him close and cried, this time in fear. "Erika, it's okay. Get a hold of yourself. Whatever Team Rocket's done I'm sure the League can handle it. You can handle it."

Erika calmed down little by little as she listened to his soothing words. When she stopped crying she sat back in her seat. "I'm okay now. Thank you, Eric. You're right. No matter what it is, Team Rocket is still Team Rocket and we can stop them." She put a hand on his face and stroked his smooth cheek. "You always know how to make me feel better." She looked at her hand and noticed that it was indeed glowing. It was a green only a shade brighter than Eric's dress shirt and looked quite pretty on her. The glow slowly faded with her intense emotions and then they were both gone. All that was left was a new feeling deep within her gut and the passionate love she felt for Eric. "Weren't we going somewhere?"

"Are you sure you're all right? People aren't supposed to glow green like that."

His worry over her made her smile again. "Don't worry. I feel something new inside of me but it doesn't appear to want to hurt me. It actually makes me feel a little stronger. So let's go."

Eric still looked indecisive but he pulled out into the road once more and headed for Celadon City gym. When they arrived ten minutes later it was with haste that they flew up the stairs to her private quarters. They used the same burst of energy to remove every article of clothing as quickly as they could.

(Break)

When Ash and company made it out of Mount Moon it was morning and bright and sunny. There was not a cloud in the bluest sky Ash had ever seen. It might have just been because they had been in a cave for so long but it still looked wonderful. The rest of the journey had passed by uneventfully. They hadn't met any more Rockets, just wild Pokémon. Gary had questioned Laura about Team Rocket's doctrines and methods while Ash listened silently. He and Gary had walked out side by side quietly arguing about revenge.

"You got your revenge for now, Ashura," Gary said. "This won't be the last battle and you'll get more chances to kill Rockets."

"But it wasn't enough," shot back Ash. "I need more now."

"I know but we're out and there's no reason to go back. You'll just have to wait." Gary slowed to a stop and looked like he was concentrating on something. Ash watched him curiously, his next argument stopping before it started.

"What's wrong?" Gary didn't answer him, he just shoved him to the side and brought up an electric shield with his hands. The force of the electric shield made his cloak fly out behind him but his hood stayed up. The moment it came into existence fire crashed hard against it. Ash, still in the air from the power of the shove saw a Magmar not blowing flames from its mouth but shooting large balls of fire every half second in Gary's direction. The sound of every ball hitting the shield was enormous like a small explosion. A roaring from behind made Ash look back. There, on an overhang over the mouth of the cave, was a Charizard. Ash saw it rear back and suck air in through its nostrils. The Charizard attacked like the Magmar was and sent out not one long tongue of flame like a Flamethrower but a multitude of fireballs. Reacting quickly Ash grabbed Pikachu out of his pack and threw him in the line of fire. "Pikachu, Shield!"

"Pikapi!" Pikachu complied and raised his own electric shield that joined with Gary's to form a dome over the two people inside with Pikachu. Gary started to drop a part of his shield so that he could attack but the flames were immediately getting in through the hole.

Ash hit the ground hard and slid for a few feet before he could stop. Blisters that weren't completely healed popped. He heard Laura scream and point in the direction of the Magmar. From behind a rocky outcrop a man had appeared. There was nothing about this man, other than the unhooded red cloak, that stood out in Ash's mind. He was of average height, average weight, had brown eyes, brown hair, and a face that was neither handsome nor ugly.

"It's 'the man!'" screamed Laura from inside the two shields.

"I can see that he's a man, but who is he!" demanded Gary.

"'The man' is the very first Pokémon Master Team Rocket created. He is above and beyond all the others. His power is absurd to the extreme."

"Why would you not know that someone like this was in your army?"

"How could we? Look at him! He looks just like everyone else. The only reason I recognized him is from the attack! It's his special move, Flares!"

Ash listened while lying on his back realizing that he was the only one in danger now. He had no Pokémon with him, he had no elemental ability and the guy attacking them was the most powerful man in the Rocket army. By the strain on Gary's face he was having a hard time keeping his shield up and Pikachu didn't look much better. He had to think, and think fast.

'The man' walked around his Magmar and headed slowly towards Ash. "Ash Ketchum. You are hereby sentenced to death for the murder of Rocket personnel. I am your judge, jury," he crossed his hands and short swords, about a foot in length of solid red steel, with flames licking at the edges, formed in each hand, "and executioner."

Ash looked around wildly for something to use to defend himself. He threw his pack to the side and pulled out the little hatchet, still covered in blood, that he used mostly for chopping kindling. He knew it wouldn't be able to do anything against fire elemental blades, the shaft was made of wood for light's sake, so he was still trying to think of something, anything, he could do.

A light went on in his head. If he could stop either the Magmar or the Charizard from attacking, Gary or Pikachu would be able to come help him. He spun and sprinted towards the Charizard since 'the man' was closer to the Magmar. He was almost halfway there when a red blur came into his field of vision. It streaked in from the right and stopped a few feet in front of him. Ash slowed down as fast as he could and ended up only a few inches away from 'the man'. He could feel the intense heat from the blades when he was this close. His skin that was already blistered felt like it was scorching as it pulsed with the heat. This guy is fast, he thought. He quickly gripped his hatchet and took a short swing at 'the man's' shins. 'The man' scornfully chopped the hatchet in two.

Ash back flipped away from him but 'the man' only followed. When Ash stopped to regain his balance 'the man' took a swing at his neck. Ash somersaulted away from the attack and almost got a fireball in the face when he got too close to the shields.

Gary could see Ash struggling against an opponent that overmatched him in all areas. He couldn't even run away. Without the elements or Pikachu, Ash had no chance. He had to help him somehow. But he was using every ounce of his strength on keeping the shield from collapsing. He needed more strength. That's it! "Laura, at my belt there's a Pokéball. Throw it." Laura did as he asked and his Jolteon appeared inside the dome with them. "Jolteon, use your Shield and place it where mine is now." Jolteon's shield came up and he dropped his. Exhausted, he collapsed to his hands and knees. He still wasn't used to using his new powers and keeping that shield up at that strength had drained him. Ash was going to die though, and he needed to help him. Gary looked out and saw that since he had last seen him Ash had gained a few scorch marks along his arms and legs. He was dodging most of the attacks but not all.

Gary got up slowly and asked Jolteon to create a hole in the side of the dome. Jolteon complied but to no avail. The flames curled towards the hole in such a way that Gary would be burnt to death before he got a step outside. He got Jolteon to close the hole again and thought. Ash was being pushed closer and closer to them by the attacks that he could not defend against. He needed something he could use to counter the flaming swords. The swords… of course! Gary concentrated on the image of his katana once more. "Ash, take this!" He threw his sword through the shields and it stuck point down into the earth.

Ash saw Gary throw the sword. He saw the next attack coming and sacrificed his boot to kick away the sword aimed at his throat. He flipped and used his other foot to kick 'the man' back a few steps. Then he ran towards the electric sword in the ground. He looked back and a Flamethrower flooded his vision. He dove for the sword and hoped to the light that he would reach it before the flame reached him.

He did. His hand grabbed cool lightning and he spun around to block the attack. The Flamethrower split when the sword cut it and went to either side of Ash and eventually the dome. 'The man' remained silent as he saw Ash gasping for breath with an electric katana in his hands. Ash hurt all over. They didn't stop at all in Mount Moon after his nap and he was tired. 'The man' had reached him with his short swords too many times already and his skin felt old and crinkly. Pieces of burnt skin dropped every time he took a breath and the new skin underneath was red and raw. He checked behind him and saw Gary concentrating hard on the sword in Ash's hands. Gary was breathing even heavier than he was.

"I can't keep that thing up for long. I'm almost done," gasped Gary. "Don't touch any of the blade part. I can only keep the grip from hurting you. Hurry. I don't know how much more Pikachu and Jolteon can take. Man this guy trains his Pokémon well."

Gary was right. He could feel Pikachu's strength getting weaker and weaker while it appeared the Charizard he was defending against hadn't slowed down at all. He had to do something, fast. He thought back, even though it hurt more than his numerous burns, to when he and Misty learned to wield their weapons. Ash had instinctively grabbed the katana. She had chosen daggers. They had fought each other for hours on end, each learning the use of their weapon, its good points and bad. She had laughed at him one day when he had taken too aggressive a slash at her and she had turned his blade against him.

With a scream of rage and pain Ash charged headlong at 'the man.' They were both so close to the dome that their bodies flickered each time an attack met the shield. Lighter, darker. Lighter, darker. Ash ran to the changes in light. He timed it perfectly so that he swung from his hip at a point where it was darker. The power of the swing created a violent wind at its beginning. The tip whistled as it neared 'the man.'

'The man' just smiled at the ferocious physical attack headed his way. When it almost cleaved him in two he took a step back. The tip passed his hip by inches and blew his red cloak back against his body. 'The man' cocked his arm back to deliver the last blow through Ash's skull. Then he stopped smiling and his eyes widened. He looked down and found half of the katana buried in his gut. Ash had learned from his mistake.

Ash had trained years to control and strengthen his muscles. When Misty had easily stepped away from his blade and he had swung through her, he saw how easy it was to avoid a full slash of such ridiculous strength and speed. Every opponent would see it as such.

He stepped back as 'the man' coughed up blood. With his muscle control Ash could start and stop easily. He had stopped his powerful swing and changed it to a thrust when his opponent least expected it. Misty hadn't seen it coming and neither had this person. All the elemental swords disappeared when their creators couldn't maintain them anymore. Ash collapsed in front of 'the man'.

"Good fight, boy," congratulated 'the man.' "No wonder you're hunted. But you haven't won yet." 'The man' pulled out two Pokéballs and recalled his two Pokémon. "Even though they don't look like it, my Pokémon are at their limits as well. Flares is not an attack to be used for extended periods of time." Pikachu slumped and Jolteon fell sideways when they released their shields. "We'll call this one a draw." 'The man,' with his hand over his wound, ran back to Mount Moon and escaped back to the army.

Pikachu crawled back to Ash's pack and went inside. Gary slowly recalled Jolteon into its ball and went to help Ash up. Ash was a mess. His original burns made his skin look bubbly and in most places pus was pouring out. The new burns Gary had seen were actually slashes from the short swords that had been cauterized closed the moment they had been opened. Deep black gashes covered Ash's arms and legs. One long black gash started at his right arm, crossed his chest and finished on his left arm. If it had been anyone else they probably wouldn't be breathing right now.

"It's been fun boys but I think it's time I left," Laura called from near the entrance to Mount Moon. "I would finish you off but you did let me live so I'll let you live as well. Call it paying off a debt. I hope we never see each other again. Bye!"

Gary, on one knee in the process of picking Ash up from the ground, watched her go. She probably could have finished the two most powerful Pokémon trainers in the League right then and there. Ash chuckled and Gary looked down at him. "Don't worry, Gary. Even if she had chosen to kill us she couldn't have. Just because we're half-dead wolves doesn't make her any less of a lamb."

"Quit borrowing my metaphors." But Gary had to smile at the attempt of humor on Ash's part. "We have to find some place to hide. We're only half-way home now."

Gary dragged Ash into some bushes at the side of the road. Almost as soon as they got there they could hear the sound of Ponytas or Rapidashes come charging their way. Ash thought he recognized the lead rider and then was struck when he did remember. "Flint!"

Gary shoved him down to the ground. "Are you insane!? Never mind that, I know you are, but do you have a death wish?"

"Don't worry," Ash said to the ground, "Flint is League to the bone." And he was right of course. When Ash finally convinced Gary to drag their bodies out of the bush Flint reached them with open arms.

"Bruno said you guys would be coming out around this time. Welcome to Pewter." He pointed to the dozens of people behind him. "We are the double 'R': Rocket Resistance."

(Break)

When Erika woke up it was morning and bright and sunny. She swiped away a strand of her black hair and felt a weight on her ring finger that hadn't been there yesterday morning. She smiled at the memory of yesterday, and last night. After throwing the covers off her naked body she walked to the washroom and began her morning routine. Toilet, shower, face, teeth, it never changed.

Once she felt like herself she opened the closet doors to her walk-in closet and performed the difficult task of choosing an outfit. Even while she made the painstaking 'eeny-meany-miney-moe catch a Meowth by the toe' to choose between the last two outfits her smile never wavered. She was going to get married to her dream guy and nothing that happened today could ruin what was going to be a long and happy life together.

Speaking of the dream guy, she thought as she slipped her favorite red head band in place, it's about time I woke the man up. Since he is such a great guy I'll do it his favorite way.

Erika happily hummed a jolly tune as she flung herself onto the bed beside her fiancée. "Honey, time to wake up." She held his face in her hands and kissed him full on the mouth. As soon as her lips met his she knew something was wrong. They were ice-cold. Erika pulled away and threw the covers off his stiff body. A familiar shade of green spots covered Eric's torso and upper thighs.

Erika couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't blink. Slowly, ever so slowly, her hands gravitated of their own accord to her head. She seized fistfuls of her hair and pulled hard as tears dripped profusely out of her wide open eyes. She screamed.

A woman that answers telephones two floors below was almost brought to tears by the level of anguish resonating in the scream she heard.

End of Chapter 5


	6. Chapter 06, Abandon

_**Ash's Dark War**_

By Unknown Bird

Ace Sanchez's Pokemon Master, please read his story before you read mine. I don't want to ruin it for anyone.

Note: Pokemon and its associated characters are copyright by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc, and 4Kids Productions. Valdera is owned by Ace Sanchez.

Chapter 6 – Abandon

The journey through Pewter was as lazy as Ash had hoped it would be. Flint, Brock's father, knew his way around the Rocket stronghold. Without him, the journey may not have been impossible, but it would have been extremely difficult. Ash slept through most of it. He was placed carefully in the back of a cart pulled by a Ponyta. His injuries were not life threatening but would take a lot of time to heal. Gary, who had only been exhausted and was undamaged, rode up front with Flint. Every time they met up with a group of Rockets they would be asked for papers and Flint would show his and they would be let through.

"They didn't kill everyone here." Flint answered when questioned about his papers by Gary. "If you're going to rule the world you need to leave some people to rule. So those that have sworn loyalty to Team Rocket are allowed to pass unhindered." He waved his papers. "These are quite easy to forge."

Once out of Pewter city they entered Viridian forest. There they took their first break in the shade of the trees. When everything had settled down and night was setting in, Ash was placed in front of the fire with Gary and Flint. He didn't like moving as his raw skin sent searing jolts of pain through him at the slightest change in position. Gary slowly munched on what rations they had left and Ash reached for his share. Flint watched Ash closely and saw the pain it caused him to eat.

"You got beat," he stated.

"We drew," replied Ash. "I got him as good as he got me."

"So it was only one? Why didn't you help him out, Lord Garick?"

Gary closed his eyes. "I couldn't," he mumbled. "I was preoccupied with his Pokémon."

Flint was very surprised at this news. "One man stalemated against the two most powerful Pokémon Trainers in the League? That's unbelievable."

"Believe it," continued Gary. "He had amazing command of his Mastery and his Pokémon were extremely well trained. He was faster than a Rapidash and stronger than a Dragonite. If Ash 

wasn't at the level he is now he wouldn't have survived. If I hadn't been as quick as I was at giving him a weapon, he _would_ have been dead. We were completely overmatched."

"Did you catch his name?"

"Tch," spat Ash. "'The man'."

"That's all?"

"Supposedly he's the very first Pokémon Master." Ash stared at the ground. "I doubt we were lied to about that. I've never seen anyone that strong before."

"Well, think of it this way. You don't have a mastery yet, there's no doubt you will, Ash, and this guy has been using his for at least three weeks now. You didn't have a weapon and as soon as you did he was defeated." Flint gave Ash his first smile since they'd met him. "It was only the circumstances that made that guy appear as powerful as he was."

Ash tried to feel happier after hearing these words of wisdom but his dark thoughts forced their way in. "Pikachu was still forced to his limit against that Charizard and his speed exceeded mine by a large margin. If he hadn't been overconfident that move wouldn't have worked either." Ash shook his head. "No, there's no denying it: this guy was better than me."

"Why haven't you been facing this kind of power during your travels, Ashura?" asked Gary.

Ash had to think about that before answering. It was true that until 'the man' he and Pikachu had handled everything thrown at them these past few days. "Pewter I got lucky. They were only water Masters. Blaine was just coming into his powers, Valdera was weaker than me and I didn't face anything new in Mount Moon." Ash shrugged then immediately regretted it when he felt more skin break off. "Luck of the draw I suppose," he said breathlessly.

Flint moved to Ash's side and checked his dressings. "These will need to be changed before you get some sleep. Go see that girl over there," he pointed to a small girl no older than ten, "she'll be able to help you more than any one of us here." Ash looked at him questioningly. "Nurse Joy's apprentice, her second niece." Ash nodded and went to see her.

Gary and Flint remained at the small fire sitting across from each other. Through the fire the two sized each other up, both trying to figure out what the other was thinking. Gary spoke first. "I assume that since you are alive that Brock survived as well."

Flint nodded. "He was away from the city when Team Rocket came and hasn't returned yet."

"So you don't know where he is?"

"No."

"I need my gym leaders, Flint. They will dictate how this war will be fought."

"Hasn't it already been decided for you how this war will be fought? Team Rocket has shoved a Pokémon and human war down your throat."

"I meant how we would fight."

"How many do you have now?"

"We have Blaine, Koga, Aya and three of the four Waterflowers."

Flint leaned forward. "Where's Misty?"

Gary smirked. "How did you know it wasn't one of the airheads missing?"

"Easy, she's not changing Ash's bandages herself."

Gary laughed out loud at that one and Ash looked over to see what was so amusing. Gary waved him off and Ash went back to watching the young Nurse see to his burns. "That was good, Flint."

"It wasn't meant to be funny. It was a statement of fact. Seriously now, where is she?"

"Nobody knows."

Flint folded his arms and his serious face became harder. "Assuming Brock and Misty aren't dead already you're looking at, at best, eleven Masters from the gym leaders. Which brings your total to seventeen possible Pokémon Masters. How many does Team Rocket have?"

"Hundreds."

"And you hope to win how?"

Gary shrugged. "Lara Larame makes eighteen?"

(Break)

With Ash still healing, the trip through Viridian forest had taken longer than expected. It was almost two days since they had entered the forest and they were just at the fringes to Viridian City now.

"This is as far as I go," said Flint. "You two will have to finish this trip on your own now."

"Thanks for all your help, Flint," replied Ash. "My wounds feel a lot better now with the help of your nurse. Anytime you need something just send a messenger to H.Q. and we'll do everything we can to help." Ash held out his hand and Flint gladly shook it.

Gary, from afar, watched the exchange. "I'd shake your hand, Flint, but I've been away from the league for far too long."

Flint nodded. "I understand. So without further ado, good luck!" Flint hopped back onto his fire horse and cantered away at the head of his resistance.

Ash got back on his horse and pranced over to Gary's side. "You could have shaken his hand. There was no need to be such a dick." Gary gave him a smoldering look from underneath his hood and flashed his eyes so Ash could see he didn't take too kindly to that remark. "Ooo. Scary, Gary. That would be much more effective if I could actually see the face you're making right now." Ash shook his head and took the lead. He wasn't anywhere near one hundred percent but the time spent healing had not been wasted. He could move his limbs without skin falling off and the searing pain had dropped to a dull ache.

The pair rounded the last corner and caught their first glimpse of the new Viridian City through the trees. It was enough to stop them right in their tracks. "Where…?" asked Gary.

"My thoughts exactly," whispered Ash.

(Break)

She hadn't traveled far in distance but she had gone miles in body. Standing over the biker's crackling corpse she watched curiously as his arms and legs twitched involuntarily. A tad more here and a bit more there, she thought, and you no longer exist. The biker's body went taut and the skin melted off his bones. She made a mental note of that particular effect and continued on her way north.

It hurt her to do this, oh did it hurt, but she knew that anything that made her hurt this much could only be something good. She was right of course. It had come to her rescue, even with the shocking torture that came with it. In the end it had saved her life.

As she felt deep within herself she could feel every fiber of her being clashing with her new-found strength. It felt so wrong, as if it didn't belong there. But at the same time it felt so right, as if it were meant to feel that way. Pain was something that had been apart of her life for as long as she could remember anyways. What was a little more?

Maybe now with this, she thought, I won't have to feel any other pain. If I can master this I will be above any agony this messed up world can throw at me. I will be the most powerful person in the world. Team Rocket, the scum of the earth, I will not allow them to destroy this world. No matter how horrible it is this world cannot fall into the hands of those monsters.

When she had first headed west she didn't know why. It was the direction she was heading in and it was going away from something she wanted to leave behind at that moment. She had tasted humiliation and had been humbled and broken. Walking in a daze she had turned north without noticing and had wandered into biker territory.

She knew what she looked like and to gangs like them she was a prime target. Before she could understand what was going on she had been pulled into some trees beside the path by no less than three bikers. Before the main event they had beaten her to a pulp. She was so confused and hurt that she could only cry out whenever one of them struck her. They twirled her around and shoved her into each other's arms. When she was caught she would be groped mercilessly, punched somewhere sensitive then sent to the next one in the circle. Finally one of them smacked her too hard and shoved her awkwardly. She fell to the ground and her head struck a rock. In that moment, when she heard the biggest one's pants drop to the ground, she recognized that she was going to die. She was as helpless as a babe and her head hurt like hell. She moaned once then gave in. She surrendered to the inevitable and felt at peace.

It's finally going to end, she mused. After all this time. After everything I did to stay alive. Eleven years of running and it ends because I didn't stop when I found something worth stopping for. At least it ends the way I spent most of it: with a man behind me.

She closed her eyes and let all her feelings wash through her to feel them for the last time. She relaxed to perfect stillness and felt as calm as a pond. Then suddenly, it was as if someone had thrown a rock in her pond. It hurt her so much that she couldn't hold whatever it was inside and just let it go. The three men dropped to the forest floor and never got up again.

That had been five days ago. Since then she had been testing her strength on bikers, Rocket scouts and scenery. She had left a path of destruction Giovanni would be proud of if he hadn't been the one being destroyed. Dead bodies were strewn across the path to warn those who thought of following. Paths had gigantic holes in them to prevent motorcycles from passing. She had done what she needed to do to stay alive a little longer. That's all she wanted right now. To stay alive until she saw him again and put to the lie everything he had told her.

(Break)

"Why haven't they moved?" Bruno was furious. "What do you mean you don't know why?" He was furious at the video screen with Bill's face on it. "Their only route to Cerulean is blocked and they just go back to Pewter and sit there?"

"This is the latest intelligence from Flint's resistance group," stated Bill. "I've also been told that Flint has returned from escorting Ashura and Gary through Viridian forest."

"I'm glad _he's_ returned safely," muttered Bruno sarcastically. "Is there a time-frame for Ashura and Garick's returns?"

"Any moment now if they got through Viridian City by the route Flint gave them. But I think the more pressing issue is the non-movement of Team Rocket. We have effectively saved Cerulean at this time and they do nothing to retaliate."

Bruno grunted and stopped to think. "We're in trouble," he concluded.

"What makes you say that?"

"Everything you just said. We stop them from capturing another city and they just walk back home and sit on their hands? That doesn't make sense. Giovanni wouldn't stand for that. Have all the scouts reported in today?"

Bill looked through the pad of paper in his hand. "Every single one reports no suspicious activity."

The itch in the back of Bruno's head made itself be heard. "None. None whatsoever. You don't find that the least bit suspicious?"

"You mean to say that the fact that there is no suspicious activity is suspicious in and of itself?"

"Bill, we're at war here. If they're not trying anything that means they're up to something. In the ten days since this war started have they ever not been doing anything? No. There's always been something going on in the background."

"I see your point. But there's nothing we can do about it until we find out about it."

"It may be too late by then."

"Intelligence wins wars. Those without it will suffer the fate of acting too quickly or too slowly."

"Thanks for that, Bill. I really needed to hear that right now. Go back to your monitoring. I'll hopefully be teleporting back with the League Master soon."

"See you then." The screen shut off and Bruno sagged slightly under the weight of all his worries. Gary, Ash, Team Rocket and my family, he mused. There's just too much. I know that I'm not the only one who's feeling this way but, light, I wish I didn't have to.

Bruno laid back heavily into his chair in his office at League Headquarters. Since he was barely ever there it was a drab place. White as a ghost and half empty it was not a place for spending a lot of time in. Unfortunately for him, Bruno had spent most of the last four days here. He had neglected his family and Elite duties to make sure he would be able to give every tiny bit of aid he could to Ash and Gary. In the end he had only been able to send Flint to Mount Moon and certain other assets to create a commotion in Viridian City. In his mind that was not nearly enough.

Bruno rolled the sleeves of his cloak up, crossed his large arms on his desk and put his head on them. He evened out his breathing and shut his eyes. He thought long and hard about what he had accomplished in his life. It had started simply. He wanted to become the best fighter in all the land. Years of training and natural ability had allowed him to reach his goal. It was then that he turned his efforts to fighting-type Pokémon. He found he had the same knack for them as well. At the age of thirty he had gained the right to be called Fighting Master of the Elite Four. Now, ten years later, after creating a family, losing first to Gary, then Ash, and finding himself a leader of a war he didn't want, he was tired.

While there was no one around and he had a few minutes, Bruno let it all go. He floated above everything and relaxed. His mind was a blank for all of two minutes but those two minutes of nothing brought him back to his regular self. He could now think through the problems he was facing with a clear head.

Ash and Gary are on their way, there's no need to think about them. I've done everything I can to bring them in safely. I just have to believe in them. I'll be spending time with my family tonight and I'll be able to fix those problems right there. Besides, Lorelei is also a leader in this war. She understands what I'm doing. Team Rocket though is a problem too big for one person. It will take the combined efforts of the League and the average trainer who realizes that he or she has to fight to preserve this world we live in. Even though it appears daunting I believe in the hearts of the people of this world. They won't stand for Team Rocket rule.

Bruno felt even more at peace after looking at his problems in a cool and collected method. He lifted his head off his arms and smiled for the first time in days. He was starting to think he couldn't possibly feel better than he did now when Stevens walked in.

He was dressed in his formal attire and stood smartly at attention in front of Bruno's desk. "Sir, I have a report that must be delivered personally."

"Go ahead, Stevens."

"Ashura Ketchum and Lord Garick Oak have returned."

Bruno jumped out of his chair and bolted for the door, his cloak flying behind him. "Good work, Stevens!" Bruno ran as fast as he could without breaking anything or hurting anyone to get to Gary's quarters in the League H.Q. He arrived just as the food did. He followed the oddly large meal in the door and found out why it was large. Ash was sitting across from Gary in the outer area.

This room was nowhere near as opulent as Gary's apartments in the Palace but they were much better than Bruno's room. There was actual furniture and paint on the walls and the sitting room where they were now had enough space to seat twenty people comfortably. But they were also used even less than the office Bruno had so it was a little stuffy and the air was a bit heavy. Bruno stood in the entrance and waited for Gary to see him. Gary looked past the man with the food and his eyes flashed. He waved Bruno over and he took a chair to Ash's right.

"I'm glad you guys made it back safe and sound," he began, "but what…?"

"Well, sound yes," cut in Ash exasperated.

"As I was saying, what took you so long?" Bruno looked pointedly at Ash's arms and legs, which were still covered in bandages.

Ash noticed where he was looking and raised his arm a little off the chair then set it back down. "It's not like they're broken or anything. Just melted a little. They're a couple days old and the only reason the bandages are still on is to make sure the gashes don't open up."

"Who in the world is strong enough to give you gashes?"

"'The man,'" Ash answered back sourly.

"I assume we're not talking about the government since you two represent it."

"Look," interjected Gary, "we shouldn't get into this now, Bruno. If we tell our story to you, here and now, we'll have to tell it again to the other three Elite later. Let us rest up for a bit then we can return to the Palace and debrief everyone together." Gary reclined in his chair and excused Bruno.

He didn't like it but he knew Gary was right. If he tried to force them to leave right now they wouldn't. It would be inhuman to do so as well. These two had beaten every impossible odd in the book and come back alive. They deserved a break more than anyone right then. "Can I just ask about Viridian City?"

Ash and Gary sagged perceptively. "No, Bruno," answered Gary tiredly. "That will have to wait as well."

"Then I will take my leave, Lord Garick, Ashura," Bruno bowed to each in turn then stepped smartly out of the room. He marched back to his office and called Bill to report on these new developments.

Ash stared across the table at Gary stretched out in his chair. "Why didn't you tell him what we saw in Viridian City?"

Gary reached up and pulled his hood back. A face that looked like Gary always had, but still seemed a little off with his hair color slightly darker, stared right back at Ash. "For the sane reason I gave him from before. I'm going to have to tell them all anyways, why repeat myself?"

"I buy that for the other stuff but this needs to be addressed right away! This has to be told so that something can be done about it. Keeping it from Bruno is a really bad idea."

"I'm not keeping it from him. Just withholding it for a couple hours."

"That's the same thing!" Ash irritably grabbed an apple off the table and took a big bite out of it. He pointed it at Gary. "You're being stubborn for no reason." He swallowed. "There's nothing you can say that will justify keeping Bruno in the dark."

"Then I won't justify it. You don't like my reason then so be it. But I feel there's no reason to tell him right now." Gary reached over and snagged his own apple from the table and pondered as he bit into it. "We've just returned from a mission that should have killed us. How about we sit, relax, and talk about shit other than the mission?"

"Like what? My mind is so busy going over everything that went wrong I don't think it has any room for innocuous talk."

"Valdera."

Ash stopped chewing on his piece of apple. He frowned as he swallowed it. "What about her?"

Gary leaned in. "Did you bag her?"

With nothing in his mouth, Ash choked. That was not a question he was expecting from Gary. "What?" he asked smiling nervously.

"I'm serious. Everyone says you got her but you won't say either way. She was a sexy piece of work and I congratulate you if you actually got her."

Ash had to laugh. With all the tension built up and then this? He couldn't hold it in. When he stopped and Gary still stared at him waiting for an answer he coughed into his hand and calmed himself. "She says I did."

"Oh come on!" Gary exclaimed extravagantly. "That's a cop out answer if I ever heard one. Answer me straight: yes or no?"

Ash chuckled a little at Gary's irritancy. "What about that Rocket girl you brought back? Did you 'get' her before you brought her back? Cause she was cute as well."

Gary turned a bit red. "Don't change the subject on me."

"Well there you go. Don't pry into my sex life if you don't want me going through yours."

"I wasn't prying," mumbled Gary.

"Oh," Ash's eyebrows rose at that. "Then what were you doing?"

"I was making friendly conversation," he answered haughtily.

Ash tried to hold it in. He really did. He knew it wasn't that funny but he was tired. The look on Gary's face as he too tried to hold it in was just too much though. Ash burst out laughing then moments later Gary did the same. Once the laughter had slowly died down and the tears had been wiped, Ash finally answered the question. "I could have." Gary tried to argue again but Ash put up his hand. "It was offered but I was still very… raw at the time. I almost gave in but in the end…"

Gary nodded in understanding. "To answer your question, no I did not do anything with the Rocket girl. I just spared her life so she could answer my questions. Turns out she was worth a lot more than I thought she'd be. Without her we wouldn't have even known anything about 'the man' and we both might have died."

The two of them were silent for a while as they thought back to that moment in time. The pure aura of strength surrounding 'the man' was now completely visible to them. They hadn't seen it before, but the way he had carried himself and the ease with which he had thought up a trap for them made it plain to even the untrained eye. Knowing it didn't make them feel any better.

"That guy was pretty good," stated Ash. "It still hurts to breathe."

"How kind of you to point out the obvious, Ash. If it still hurts you should go see someone about it."

"I said that it hurt, not that I needed medical attention. Just because something's still broken doesn't mean it's not fixing itself."

Gary sighed and said tiredly, "Look, Ash, I'm not really in the mood to argue with you right now. We've both been through a lot in the past few days. Just because we're rivals doesn't mean we have to be fighting all the time."

The two of them couldn't think of anything to say to the other after that. So, for the longest time, they just sat in each other's presence and waited for one of them to think of something interesting to say.

"We both need to get laid, don't we?" Gary asked to the air.

"In a perfect world we'd have been greeted back by two beautiful ladies ready to welcome the triumphant heroes home." Ash paused and thought it over. "Two each."

Gary laughed hard then patted Ash on the knee. "You come up with some good ones every now and then." He got up and went to the table at the side of the room. There, he chose a picture and brought it back to his chair. He passed the picture to Ash.

It was a small photo, only about the size of his hand. It was of three people standing behind three others who were bent over at the waist giving the 'V' sign. It had been taken only moments before Ash had left on his exploration journey two years ago. Professor Oak, Brock, and his mom were behind Misty, Gary with his League Master badge, and himself. It was one of the happiest memories of his life. "I didn't think you'd kept a copy, Gary."

"Of course I did. That's the moment I first realized how much you all meant to me. I thought you might like to see it to remind you of a good time. You've gained a few bad memories lately and you should be shown that there are good times to look forward to and back on. For your sanity and mine."

"Thanks, Gary. This really does mean a lot to me. But I think now we should head to the Palace. We've made everyone wait long enough."

Gary pulled his hood up. "Whatever you say, Ashura."

(Break)

Lance had gathered everyone in the private room attached to the Defense Control Room by the time Ash and Gary ported in from League H.Q. When Bruno had called saying they had arrived safely, Lance had been beyond happy. But when he added that they weren't returning right away, Lance got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. It wasn't that he didn't trust Gary, but, with what Gary was going through right now, he wasn't sure what was going on in Gary's head.

The door opened slowly and Ash then Gary followed by Bruno walked in. The trio were silent until they sat down at the long table that included the gathered gym leaders, the rest of the Elite Four, and Bill. Gary coughed and everyone turned their heads in his direction.

"I'm going to give you all as detailed account as I can of our journey through Mount Moon and the return trip."

(Break)

"Light!" exclaimed Agatha. "Are you all right, Ashura? How are you even moving now?"

Ash shrugged. "I had help healing from the Joy's apprentice and I've always had an above average healing ability. I know I can't count how many times I've been shocked by Pikachu."

"Pika!" piped in Pikachu in front of Ash as he smiled.

"Some things never change," said Bruno as he shook his head.

"Unfortunately for us," broke in Gary, "some things do."

"What do you mean, Gary?" asked Lance.

Gary glanced over at Ash before continuing. "I'm talking about Viridian City. It has been completely changed. There is no longer a Viridian City. Team Rocket has demolished everything." Looks of shock were directed Gary's way. "We witnessed it ourselves. All that's left are piles of rubble and the Gym with its wall."

"Is this true, Ashura?" inquired Bill in disbelief.

Ash picked at a piece of his clothing before answering. "Unfortunately, yes. We walked through the whole 'city' trying to find anyone left alive." He shook his head. "There was no one. Not one single person unaffiliated with Team Rocket was left standing in the city. Complete annihilation."

Silence reined as it all sunk in for everyone. A sob from Lorelei caught their ears. "Why go that far!?" she shouted. "There is no reason to do something like that!" Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. "This is utter madness!"

Bruno, at her side, tried to console her as she reached for him. He looked as though he was going to speak but only shook his head and held Lorelei close. He whispered something to Lorelei and she nodded, agreeing to whatever he said. Bruno looked to Gary and he understood. Gary motioned for them to leave and they left with Lorelei hanging on to Bruno.

The outburst had made a dark meeting even darker. The remaining people at the table were not in the mood for further conversation but they had a duty to uphold and no matter what they were going to do it. Agatha was the first to speak up several minutes later.

"What are we to do with this news? What does this mean for us? Should we even do anything?" That statement brought some people out of their own brooding thoughts to stare over at her. "If there's nothing left, there's nothing to save. A direct assault on Viridian City would be suicide at this point and then the world would be Giovanni's."

"So you're saying there's nothing we can do about this massacre?" demanded Bill. "We just sit here in our nice palace as everyone in the world dies? What kind of protectors of the people does that make us? _We_ are not the people that that motto was talking about."

"And what do you propose we do, Bill? Is that great mind of yours holding back on some miracle plan that would win this war? As it stands we are powerless. We do not have anything to strike back with. Right now it is a game of numbers. They lose one or two masters and it means nothing to them. We lose one or two and our force is cut down by a sixth or a third. There's just…" Agatha stopped when Lance lightly touched her shoulder.

"You don't need to say any more Agatha," he said softly. "We all realize how bad it looks right now. What we need now are more troops as you bluntly pointed out." Lance turned to face Ash and raised his voice. "If you're feeling better I'd like you to continue your mission tomorrow."

Ash nodded. "I do and I will. As early as possible I'll head to Vermillion City and pick up Lt. Surge."

"I doubt even you could do that, Ashura," muttered Koga. "He's huge."

Aya slapped her brother in the arm with a light lilting laugh. "Was that a joke, dear brother? If so, your timing is as horrible as always."

Gary watched Ash silently step out of the room and head for his quarters. If he was going to be leaving early he should get some sleep while he could, he thought. Now to the other business. "Everyone." He waited until Aya stopped teasing Koga before continuing. "You got my update and now I need yours. What happened while we were away?"

Lance took a computer printout out of an envelope he had brought with him. "This is a map with the current movement of troops. As you can see there's been no change since you left. Due to your cave-in of Mount Moon they have not been able to acquire any more cities. But with Pallet Town conquered it's only a matter of time until we have to defend the shores of Fuchsia."

Gary stopped his perusal of the map, "We're surrendering Cinnabar I take it?"

"There's no reason, other than personal ones," added Lance while glaring at Blaine, "to defend Cinnabar. It's completely remote, they already have Pallet Town, and we've already discussed our lack of troops. We have to prioritize."

Gary played out a few scenarios in his head before coming to his final conclusion: Lance was right. "You're correct in your assessment of the situation, Lance. I'm sorry, Blaine but I guarantee to you that we will reclaim Cinnabar. Not just Cinnabar but Pewter, Viridian, and any other city that falls under the dark cloud of Team Rocket." Gary shook his head. "But first we need more people. What have you been doing about that problem, Lance?"

Lance coughed lightly into his mouth. "Myself and a few that I've hand picked have been combing through the ranks, trying to find trainers of above average ability. Using the last Pokémon League Championships as a starting point we've also been trying to track down the top eight trainers of each year."

"Why just the top eight? Why not anyone who made it to the Championships? Everyone there had to have defeated the eight Gym Leaders at some point."

"If everyone who made it to the League Championships had to defeat all six of the Gym Leaders' Pokémon we would never have more than twenty per year. Shrinking the pool to eight allows us to search for only those who were strong enough to train six superior Pokémon instead of just two or three."

"I understand. How many have we found so far?"

"Ten. Almost all of them were living here, in Indigo Plateau. We haven't been able to contact anyone outside of the Plateau other than one."

"And who is this one?"

Lance shoved the rest of the envelope Gary's way. Gary slowly pulled out a sheet and scanned it briefly. "I know Ashura doesn't harbor any animosity against him so I think he'll be fine."

"He did stop Ashura from becoming a Pokémon Master."

"Actually the way I hear it told is that it was more Team Rocket's fault and anyways he only delayed the inevitable. There should be no problems."

(Break)

"Hey, Ash!"

The shout had come from behind him. He had almost made it to his rooms when the familiar voice stopped him dead. He gradually turned to face the speaker and unconsciously rubbed the spot where Charizard's ball used to be. "Richie?" The Pikachu with spiked hair standing beside him confirmed it. "Richie! Hey!"

Richie walked over to Ash with his hand extended and Ash shook it. "How have you been, Ash?"

"It's Ashura now, and damn terrible to tell you the truth. How have you been?"

"Pretty good, pretty good."

There was an awkward moment of silence before Ash directed Richie toward his rooms. There, he fixed Richie a drink, apple juice on the rocks, and they sat down in his yellow living room. "So what brings you to the League Palace?" asked Ash.

"I was recruited by the League. They're hunting down past competitors of the Championships and they found me in Saffron."

"Saffron? What were you doing in Saffron? Last I heard you were off training deep in some cave near Cerulean."

"Well I ran into some people there who offered me a job in Silph Co. Great pay and benefits and I get to see all the new technology before it even comes out. It's an amazing experience. When I saw the League army begin to occupy the city I went and had a chat with them. A few days later the recruiters came by and the people I had talked to remembered me and sent them my way. And here I am."

"And what did you do personally at Silph?"

"I was head of security. They saw my resume as a Pokémon Trainer and then how hard I worked for them and I was promoted to the top within a year."

"Well congratulations. I'm glad you're doing so well for yourself."

"Not that it matters anymore." He looked at Richie questioningly. "Team Rocket has a foot in Saffron's door. Sooner or later they're going to try and take the whole city. Any idiot knows that Saffron is the most important city in the country. My job as head of security will definitely be in jeopardy when Silph gets blown up."

"Too true. Well I'm glad you're on our side, Richie, Sparky, because we need all the help we can get." Ash looked conspiratorially around the room before leaning closer to Richie. "Would you like something… stronger to drink? I keep a stash somewhere the stuffy old maids who come in to clean can't find it."

Richie smiled wide and signaled Ash to go ahead. Ash went to the trophy case along the wall and pulled out a trophy any Ash follower would know did not belong in his collection. It was a long golden cylinder with _Pallet Town Invitational Champion_ inscribed on the wooden base. Ash turned the cylinder where it met the wood and it popped off to reveal a clear glass cylinder filled with a dark brown liquid. Ash took Richie's now empty glass and put a couple of inches of the liquid into it. Richie accepted the drink and reached for the _trophy_ that Ash had put back together after pouring himself a couple shots worth.

"Pallet Town Invitational? Does that even exist?"

"It was something Gary and I had conjured up in our youth when we pretended to battle with Pokémon. So when I needed a hiding place for the alcohol that was disappearing from my room and I thought of a trick trophy, that name was the first to come to mind." Richie handed it back to him and he returned it to its place among the replicas in the room. "I could have just dismantled one of these since they're not the originals but I figured that trophy would anger Gary more."

"Has he seen it yet?"

Ash laughed. "Actually, no. He's only been in here once and he didn't stay long enough to admire my trophies." Thinking back to that night brought back the feeling of confusion and the dark thoughts that had entered his mind when Gary questioned him about _her_. Ash shuddered and tried to focus on what Richie was saying.

"Maybe you should bring it to a meeting one time and see how he reacts."

"I'm sure it would be hilarious," he said absently. Ash took a small sip from his drink and found it empty. He didn't remember drinking any of it. Come to think of it he didn't remember moving to this spot of the room either. The blackouts were happening again.

Richie moved around the chairs toward Ash. "Hey. Are you all right? You don't look so good."

He put a hand to his head and squinted for a second to regain his bearings. "I'm fine. I just… had a small dizzy spell is all. I've been working really hard these last few days and I'm tired."

"I'll let you get some rest then. Thanks for the drink." Richie tipped his empty glass to him and left it on the table. Just before he left, he turned back. "It was nice seeing you again, Ash, Ashura, whatever."

"You too, Richie." Richie closed the door softly behind him and Ash was alone with Pikachu once more. "Pikachu." His friend jumped up to his shoulder. "What the hell is going on in my head?"

"Chuu." Pikachu didn't know either.

(Break)

The next morning Ash got up to a soft knocking at his door. "It's open!" he shouted to whoever it was on the other side.

"This is your wake-up, sir. It's six-thirty." Ash heard the person walk away without opening the door.

Ash tried his best to ignore the wake-up knock but his work ethic wouldn't allow him to go back to sleep. Damn that Lt. Surge and his early morning routine, he thought. If you wanted to catch Surge before noon you had to talk with him during breakfast. Otherwise he would be missing until his gym opened doing some secret training. He always had breakfast at seven-thirty, a time instilled in him by the military. It was said his stomach wouldn't accept food at any other time in the morning.

So, here he was, a sixteen-year-old male, in his prime teen years, getting up at the unholy hour of six-thirty when he should never have to see ten. He took his shower, re-bandaged his gashes, brushed his teeth, and put on his normal traveling attire: dark t-shit, athletic pants, and his brown forest cloak that his mother had given him.

By seven fifteen he was at the teleporter and by seven twenty-five he was in the Vermillion City gym. After pausing to reminisce about his battle here he went straight to where he could see Lt. Surge sitting down to his morning meal.

Before he could get too close he was accosted by two of Surge's entourage. "Identification please. Regiment, rank, and serial number."

Ash smiled politely at them. "Ashura Ketchum of the Pikachus are better than Raichus regiment. Ranked number one in the world. Former two hundred and sixty-second League Master."

The two quickly stepped back and let him pass. Surge looked up from his meal when he saw his guards part ways. He didn't smile but he didn't throw him out either. At six foot eight and three hundred and twenty pounds worth of muscle that wasn't a joke. "Ash Ketchum, the little baby that has become a man. Sorry for not shaking your hand or anything but I'm trying to eat before my morning workout."

"I'm afraid you're going to have to cancel that workout, Surge," started Ash. "I have a summons from the League Master. All eight of the gym leaders are to report back to the Palace of the Elite Four."

"Let me guess, Team Rocket?" inquired Surge.

"You've heard then?"

"I heard some things." Surge pointed to the wall on his left. "Then when I was able to do this," he shot a bolt of lightning through the wall, "I knew something was up."

Ash was surprised to say the least. It must have taken something extraordinary to stress out this man's man. "What happened?"

"I heard that Team Rocket was sitting pretty in Lavender which is only a few days walk away from here. Even faster if you cross in a boat. At the time I was doing some exercises on the roof of my Gym. When I heard the news I was looking over the whole city. I began to think 'the city could be destroyed in a matter of days'. It pained me to think of that. I've come to love this city, Ash. The more I thought about it, the more painful it became until I couldn't handle it anymore and roared my frustration at the sky. After that I could start shooting lightning out of my hands, so I felt a little better."

He was stunned. The biggest and most macho man had confessed to him that the reason he had been stressed out enough to gain his power was because of the city his gym was in. It sounded like such a girly answer. "Well. Uh. I've given you your summons. We should head back to the Palace now. Bring any of your entourage you feel is strong enough to fight against Team Rocket and we'll teleport out of here."

"Before we go, Ash..."

"It's Ashura now," he interrupted.

"Ashura, then. Before we go, I need to know what the League is planning on doing about defending my city."

He thought back to the security meetings he had been to and tried to remember anything that was said about defending Vermillion. Then he remembered that Vermillion wasn't even reachable. "Lt., they can't even get to Vermillion. I heard about the troops in Lavender and they are minimal. They only have enough there to toy with the radio tower and defend the passes to the city."

"What about Diglett's Cave?"

A shiver ran down Ash's spine. "Dig, what?"

"You know, the tunnel that goes from Pewter to Vermillion?" Surge became alarmed at Ash's pale face.

"We forgot about Diglett's Cave. How in the world did the Pokémon League forget about a tunnel dug by digging Pokémon?" Ash slumped to the floor in shock. "We're screwed. All those troops that were going to Cerulean are on their way here now. Saffron is completely exposed. They're not expecting an attack from the south. If we lose Saffron, we lose this war. Celadon would be indefensible. Fuchsia, Cerulean and Indigo would be completely surrounded." Ash stopped for a minute to try and gather himself but couldn't. "It's hopeless."

Surge got up from his table and pulled Ash up. "It's not hopeless yet, little baby. They still have to make it through Diglett's Cave before they can attack my city."

"That's right, we can cave it in just like we did Mount Moon to protect Cerulean. Let's go while we still can!" Ash sprinted out of that gym so fast Pikachu was having trouble keeping up. Surge stayed behind a couple of seconds to order a few of his personnel to follow him out. When Ash got out of the gym and looked east his worst fears were confirmed. Black smoke curled upwards announcing the arrival of Team Rocket.

On a more personal note three Rocket grunts were already heading toward the gym. They must have learned from Pewter that they shouldn't just toss Masters in the direction of their target. Ash could see the five Ground Masters hanging back a bit waiting for their target to appear. Not waiting for them to pull out their Pokeballs, Ash launched Pikachu at them "Pikachu, Thunder!"

Surprised, the grunts tried to turn and run but they were too late. Pikachu lit them up like Christmas trees as the Ground Masters moved in. Surge stepped in behind Ash with his group. "Nice cloaks they got there, baby. Why they runnin' towards us after what you showed them others?"

"These guys are like you: they can control the elements. The light brown color of their cloaks means that these guys are Ground Masters. We both know what that means for us electric types."

Surge stepped up in front of Ash. "They may be impervious to electricity but I'll bet they aren't to a fist in the face." Surge launched himself toward the five Masters.

"No, Surge!" screamed Ash. He tried to grab the man before he got too ahead of himself but missed. He watched in agony as Surge ran straight at the guy in the middle.

All five of them shot rock shards at Surge. Belying his girth, Surge ducked, twisted, and dodged every shard aimed at him. He barreled onwards and the guy he was after threw up a wall of dirt in front of him. Surge ignored it and body slammed through it. Once through he grabbed the five foot eight man by the head and with his other hand punched him in the face. The man's face caved in and his spine broke, cutting off his scream. The other four broke into a run to get as far away from the monster as soon as possible.

Ash was astonished by what he'd just seen. "Remind me never to fight you, Lt."

Lt. Surge was breathing heavily when he came back to where Ash was waiting. "That wall was stronger than I made it look. If those guys hadn't run I would have been dead meat." He peered towards the black smoke still rising on the horizon. "More will be coming. We've got to get out of here and warn the people."

"I'm sure they've seen the smoke, Surge. They should be heading to Saffron as we speak."

"And what about those that are still asleep? It's still early morning. What about the elderly and the disabled?" Surge's eyes took on a glazed appearance before suddenly flaming with resolve. "To the teleporter."

The group tore through the town to the Pokémon Center and made it in record time. On the way there Surge ordered his men to find every last person who couldn't run and bring them to the Center. They gazed out towards the fires getting closer and closer and they could make out the pair of Charizards circling high in the sky.

"We don't have much time, Surge," put in Ash.

"The people of this city have less time," he snapped back. Soon the dozens of people who for some reason or another would not be able to run to Saffron came pouring out of the city. "Direct them to the teleporter. I don't care how you do it but fit five in and teleport them to Indigo." Ash stared blankly at him. "Go! Now!"

So, he did his best. As fast as he could he directed everyone through the teleporter. He would periodically glance out the window and watch the fires creep closer and closer and soon he could hear the screams of those determined to defend their homes. Ten minutes later Surge came upstairs in the Pokémon Center behind a group of five.

"This is the last that my group could find." Once the last of them ported out, Ash stepped in. Surge came in with him. Surge pushed the coordinates in but before he pressed the last button, he turned to Ash. "A teleporter is a wondrous thing isn't it, Ashura."

"Yes, it is. It's too bad I've had to destroy so many of them along the way."

"With it you can travel long distances in short amounts of time. As we've seen we can even move dozens of people within minutes." Surge placed his palm on the metal siding. "We can't let them have this."

"What?" The light of understanding came on milliseconds too late for Ash. Surge pressed the last button and dived out of the teleporter. "Surge, no!" Ash reappeared in Indigo and immediately turned around to the computer screen. He typed in Vermillion but the screen flashed a message to him: 'The Vermillion teleporter is no longer functioning'. "Damn it!" Before he could punch this teleporter he remembered what happened to the one in Cinnabar when he did that. He called over one of the guards and punched him in the gut instead. He felt a little better after that.

Ash surveyed the scene at the entrance to the palace. Everyone who had ported out of Vermillion was being escorted by the guards to somewhere that could hold them all inside. Ash paused only for a moment before heading inside. He headed straight for the D.C.R. When he made it through the security check and the doors he pulled Bill aside and asked him to bring Gary and the Elite Four to him.

By the time everyone had arrived Ash had already pulled up the map and changed Vermillion from blue to red. "We need to get everyone on the ground, now. A massive force is moving from Vermillion up to Saffron. We lose Saffron, we lose this war, right here, right now."

"Wait," began Gary. "How did they get from Pewter to…" Then it hit him in the face. "Oh, light!" He got really red and faced everyone in the room. "How the hell did everyone here, including myself, forget about DIGLETT'S FUCKING CAVE!?"

Everyone blanched. No one had an answer. "We don't have time to worry about it right now, Gary. We need to grab whoever we can and port them all to Saffron. They know we know about the army so they're going to try and get there before we can set up any major defenses. Hopefully Lt. Surge can slow them down enough."

"What about Surge?"

"It doesn't matter right now, don't you get it!? A huge chunk of the Rocket Army is swarming towards Saffron and we might not be able to hold them back! If Saffron falls, we fall! You turn that whole map red except for Indigo and they can just pour everything through Victory Road at us. We need to gather everyone we have and leave, now!"

Gary stared Ash down with his still roiling anger before relenting. "Lance, go get the gym leaders we have gathered already. Lorelei, gather the troops. Bruno, retrieve the ten potentials from their rooms and bring them down. Agatha, go to Saffron now and organize everything there. Every time someone ports in you tell them where to go. Ashura, you go with her and get Sabrina. Then, travel to Celadon and get Erica." They were all still around him waiting to see if he was done. "Go god damn it! Ashura, you were the one telling me to hurry! Move it!"

The assembled split up and Ash followed on Agatha's heels to the teleporter. "I'll go right on ahead to the troops we have in Saffron already," she said. "You just don't mind little old me and go get Sabrina."

"I know." They were silent together the rest of the way down and when they ported in they immediately separated.

Gary stood in front of the crowd that consisted of the six gym leaders, eleven potential Pokémon Masters including Lara, and two hundred trainers that enlisted into the League Army. They were all standing just outside the palace, in front of the teleporter that would take many of them to their death.

"Today, Team Rocket has decided to attack the heart and soul of this country. Saffron City is the crowning jewel in the ring of five. Team Rocket has already pulled two of the jewels out, Vermillion and Lavender, but we will not allow them to steal another. This country is not theirs for the taking. We are the Pokémon League and we have represented the will of the people for hundreds of generations. Now, we go to protect those we serve." Gary bowed his head. "There will be sacrifices. Some of you here today may not return tomorrow. So, I thank you all right now. When this battle is won I will personally come around to shake each one of your hands because you are the bravest of the brave. The few who know that life under Rocket rule is not life at all." He raised his head along with his arms. "We leave together, we battle together, and, light willing, we shall live together. This world is ours to protect and I hope every one of you gives everything you have like I will to protect it." During the speech, Gary's arms made sweeping gestures to the crowd pulling them closer to him and grabbing their attention. "That is all I have to say to you now. May the light be with you and fight like the demons you are."

He turned his back to the crowd as they chanted his name. He walked slowly to the teleporter and they marched on behind him. Together they slowly made their way towards the biggest battle of their short lives.

End of Chapter 6


	7. Chapter 7, Adrenaline

_**Ash's Dark War**_

By Unknown Bird

Ace Sanchez's Pokémon Master, please read his story before you read mine. I don't want to ruin it for anyone.

Note: Pokémon and its associated characters are copyright by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc, and 4Kids Productions. Valdera is owned by Ace Sanchez.

Author's Note: I know that I normally put this at the end. It's here because you must know this before you read. This chapter is the reason I started this story. Six years ago I wanted to write this part of the Dark Wars. Now that it's done and my self motivation is gone, I'm afraid it's up to you guys if I finish this or not. If I don't hear from you, I'll assume that nobody wants to know how I think this war went. It'll still get posted, but it might take me fifteen years to finish at the pace I've been going. Your reviews and comments are the only thanks I can get out of this. I would like to thank those few who have placed me as a favorite author and those who get an alert whenever I update. You brighten my day every time I see your names. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Chapter 7 – Adrenaline

Two figures rode at the head of the victorious army. They were on Rapidashes to denote their high standing. They had not accomplished much themselves during the three day battle, but what they had done as leaders could not be measured. Directing troops takes much more skill than throwing a Pokéball. The two of them made quite the dashing pair in full dress uniform. Their four stars and arrays of medals glinted in the waning sunlight.

As they headed towards the gateway into Saffron they passed the myriad of bodies of the conquered still decomposing on the side of the road. The woman rider wrinkled her nose in slight annoyance but knew nothing could be done about it so there was no use in complaining. She looked longingly towards the gateway just now becoming visible. Oh how she wanted to spur her horse into a gallop, but that would not do in front of her troops. Her prize wasn't going anywhere, so she might as well just stay calm and relish the victory.

It had been a hard fought three days. There had been times when they thought they wouldn't win. Times when it looked like the other side would come rushing through them and destroy everything. Their leader had rallied them though and now they were the ones still breathing while the others lay motionless. The others had thrown attacks at them they had never seen before, but there was always someone who would turn the tide in their favor again. She didn't know whether it had been just dumb luck that they were able to counter almost everything or if their Pokémon Masters were truly skilled. She didn't care. She was alive and they most certainly were not.

As she drew closer and closer to the south entrance of Saffron her mouth began to dry up in anticipation. She licked her lips almost constantly and her breath came sporadically. Her mount noticed her impatience and whinnied as if to ask to go faster. The woman kept her horse reined in even if she didn't want to so that she kept pace with the stocky man beside her. The anticipation was killing her, and time was moving so slowly.

She was so close now that she could finally make out the two shapes under the entrance. She closed her eyes so she wouldn't spoil the view. When her partner pulled her horse up short she knew that at last she could look without regret. She started at their feet and moved upwards to their still bleeding legs, their gutted insides, their hacked off arms, their necks choked by the rope attached to the gateway, until finally their mutilated faces. She almost couldn't tell that these two had once been the most powerful Pokémon Trainers the League had.

"Yes, Butch!" shrieked Cassidy, her body quivering in excitement. "That is exactly how it is going to go. I couldn't have said it any better. "You appear to have a knack for story telling."

"Well it won't be a story for long, Cassidy," said Butch, clearly pleased with his effort. He passed a hand through his short aqua-blue hair to try and make himself look cooler. "Soon, the Rocket army will make it a reality. Our force is so powerful that nothing will stand in our way!" Butch turned around to face the large group he was at the head of with his main partner. "Right, men!?"

"Yeah!" The rows upon rows of men backed their co-leader with all the enthusiasm they had. Only a few were Pokémon Masters, but there were the regular trainers mixed in as well as the normal brutes you would find in any self-respecting army.

They were stationed on the east side of Saffron guarding the pass to Lavender. News of the impending reinforcements had just reached them from a single man from the main body in Diglett's Cave. Their orders were to remain where they were for the time being but to prepare for battle. That had been only two hours ago but Butch and Cassidy ran a tight ship. Every member of their division was trained to be ready at the slightest moment because you never knew when your enemy would come. They weren't expecting to move out for a couple of hours yet, but this was supposed to be the deciding battle so a preemptive strike by the league was not impossible.

Cassidy moved closer to Butch and whispered into his ear, her thick blonde pony-tail tied up high making it obvious to everyone what direction she was looking in."Is everyone ready?"

"Of course everyone is ready," he whispered back.

"I don't think you understand me. Is _everyone_ ready?" Cassidy pointedly nodded to the first rank of men to the small boy standing at the fore. The boy could have been no older than sixteen but had a green master's cloak on.

Butch stared at him until the boy glanced in Butch's way. He immediately looked away. It was what Butch had been waiting for. "He's as ready as he'll ever be. I tried to talk to him earlier. He wouldn't look me in the eyes or say a thing." He sighed. "If he doesn't do what we tell him to do, he knows what will happen. Besides, _he_ is watching over him."

Cassidy's eye twitched. She didn't bother looking for _him_. "Don't mention him again. I don't like that man."

Butch smiled. "What is this, Cassidy, dear? I thought you loved power. This man is the most powerful Pokémon Master in the Rocket army. How have you not slept with him yet?"

She gave him her coldest look and ignored the jab. "Why is he here anyways? Shouldn't he be leading the attacking group?"

"Supposedly he sought to get ahead of the army and wait for his prey. When he saw the kid he decided to stay with us."

"Couldn't he just take the kid with him to the city?"

"He said he wanted to teach the kid a few things before they left the main group."

"What could he teach the boy? They are two completely different elements." She snickered at the thought of a Grass Master learning fire techniques.

"Whatever 'the man' wants to do, he'll do. Giovanni has given him complete autonomy." Butch almost looked pityingly at the boy. "Too bad for the kid. He's going to have a rough ride even without us forcing him into this war."

"Butch!" exclaimed Cassidy. "You're not going soft on me are you?"

"I wonder how many men you've said that to, Cassidy." Butch and Cassidy jumped in their saddles at the voice. The Rapidashes snorted back at them once they settled down. 'The man' had maneuvered out of the ranks and was dragging the kid with him towards the generals. "I'm leaving. Ashura should be on his way to Saffron soon and I don't want to miss him. I'm taking Roy with me as well. Any objections?"

They both shook their heads and let him go on his way without any formalities. Never poke a sleeping dragon. They watched as he took Roy out of the camp and headed for Saffron. Cassidy let out the breath she had been holding and leaned against Butch for support. She was immensely glad that 'the man' had decided to leave them. On one side she was completely terrified of him, on the other side she knew as an intellectual strategist that he would increase her chances of survival if he stayed with her group. Her mind chose to ignore that second part because she had ways of staying alive in any situation that didn't involve him.

After composing themselves the pair went back to their tent. There they could sit and wait for the messenger that was sure to be making his way towards them already. Their orders would come with him and their lives would hang on exactly what that message said. Butch and Cassidy had looked over the map of Saffron about a thousand times trying to figure out what would be the best way to attack the city from their position. To the north lay the gym, but their chances of going that way were slim because the force they had wouldn't be strong enough to crush the defenses the League had already set up. They already held the east. South of Saffron was the Pokémon Center and their preferred direction of travel. The south would be the least defended by the League, and there would be lots of good looting prospects in the housing areas down there. Then there's the middle of Saffron where Silph was located. It would be an obvious target of Giovanni's, and the most likely to be extremely guarded. They could be ordered to attack there. Not something they would want to do. The final option open to them would be that they would sneak past everyone and go after Erika. If they hurried the League might not have recruited her, and she would be all on her own.

Cassidy sighed and sat down on their bed. "I know we've planned for any eventuality, but I really don't want to invade Silph."

Butch agreed, "I know what you mean. That will be the hardest job of them all. If we get Celadon or south Saffron our job won't be too bad. Our plan for Celadon is flawless as well. There are way too many variables with Silph."

She nodded. After that they didn't say a word to each other. They both knew exactly what they were going to do depending on where they were sent. There was nothing more that could be said. They both waited silently until the messenger stepped into their tent and handed Butch the letter embossed with an 'R.' He ripped it open and read it without saying anything. He passed it to Cassidy and she read it.

"O.K." Butch said finally. "Let's get to work."

(Break)

What had started as a frantic scramble to get everything organized had now become a long wait. Ash and Agatha had directed all the troops to where they needed to go and now all they could do was wait for Team Rocket to come.

Ash turned to Agatha. "I've done everything I can here. I'm going to go get Sabrina."

Agatha nodded to him and watched as he headed for the gym. As she began to head towards the main operations building a messenger stopped in front of her. She reported to her that Gary had come through the teleporter with the reinforcements. Agatha waved the messenger away and changed direction.

When she found Gary he was sorting through some maps of the southern part of Saffron in an abandoned house close to the teleporter. She stood behind him and let him go through his own assessment of the situation.

He looked up from his work to acknowledge Agatha before going back to his perusal of the maps. "There aren't many ways through south Saffron that you can pour an army through." He pointed at two spots on the map. "These will be the most likely routes."

"How do you want the troops to be divided?"

Gary took a long time to answer. "We don't have enough troops." Agatha didn't say anything. "They know we know they're coming. They're able to read this map the same way we can. They can see that there are only two routes to go through. If I were them I'd take both. Split their force up and make us split our own as well." He sighed. "Split half of the reinforcements up at these two routes. Make sure to use all of the trainers and potential masters. The rest of them spread throughout whatever other positions we occupy."

"Is that all, sir?"

"You stay here and command the rest of our forces on top of your head scout duties. I'll go lead the defense of the south from the city center. If anything urgent comes up you have my authority to solve it in any way you must."

"Yes, sir." Agatha bowed as he left for his part in the battle. When he left she looked at the maps and tried to see what Gary had seen. She found a few flaws in his logic and made a mental note to fix them when she left.

Instead of doing it right away, she waited. It didn't take long until Lance, Bruno and Lorelei filed in. "I'm glad you all could make it," she said when they had all settled.

"Of course we came, Agatha," began Bruno. "We are about to start the first war in over a thousand years. Tradition must be upheld."

"Bruno, what have you done to your cloak?" The sleeves had been cut at his shoulders and showed off his bulging arm muscles.

He checked out his own shoulders as he replied. "I'm not used to wearing sleeves, Agatha. I think it looks better this way anyways."

"Bruno can do what he likes, Agatha. Let's start this thing." Lance pulled out a small leather-bound manuscript titled 'For the Elite.' "I have with me the text that has been passed down to every Elite throughout the ages. Written by the original Pokémon League Champion, it is the roles and conducts that a member of the Elite must abide by." Lance opened it to a page marked by a ribbon. "The passage most poignant to us right now says thus: 'If at any time the Elite are forced in to a war, for they shall never start a war themselves, these are the rules which each Elite must hold one another accountable for. One, you will fight with _everything_ you have. You will not hold back a shred of strength. The enemy has forced you into a war that you did not want and you must punish them for it. Two, the life of the Master comes before your own.'" Lance read silently onwards for a moment. "The rest of that one is fairly self explanatory. I'll just move on. 'Three, you are the strongest Pokémon trainers that the League has. You will not trouble yourself with fighting weak enemies. You will seek out those that do the most damage to your allies and you will eliminate them.' Finally, 'four…'" Lance stopped. His eyes widened then he slammed the thing shut.

"What is it, Lance?" Inquired Lorelei.

"The first Master was insane. I refuse to follow that last rule."

"Just tell us what it is Lance," replied Bruno. When he hesitated, Bruno added a little more menacingly, "Do it."

Lance shrugged and reopened the manuscript. "'Four, if any lower trainer gets in the way of any attack, be it by accident or design, do not retract the attack.'" Lance reared back and was about to throw the thing out the window when Bruno grabbed a hold of his arm.

"Sorry, Lance. You'll just regret that later." Bruno slowly brought his arm down and let go. "It's a rule that makes sense, Lance. As much as we don't like it, it's true. More than likely the person that would step in the way of the attack would be trying to do us harm. This rule allows us to remove our emotions from the equation. It gives us something to fall back on when something like that could happen."

Lance, after a while, nodded his head in agreement. There was nothing else he could do after all. The group broke apart after that. Lance headed west, Bruno and Lorelei south, while Agatha remained where she was.

She was thoughtful about the meeting that had just concluded. It hadn't been anything special, but it had the air of something important. They had just finished something that the original Elite Four had sworn to do at one time. She wondered if any of the others had thought about that.

(Break)

Ash took his time getting to the gym. She probably knew he was coming to get her, so there was no point in rushing. Besides, he needed to save his strength for the coming battle. He passed by trainers preparing their Pokémon, scientists going through calculations on something he was not quite sure what, and regular soldiers oiling weapons.

It was this last group of people that Ash felt the most sorry for. With no Pokémon to defend them they were the most likely to perish in this fight. That's why he was the most proud of them as well. They needed people like them if they were going to win this war. Not those who go to battle for land or money, but those who fight for something bigger than themselves. Team Rocket couldn't boast about that.

Where before Saffron had been the crown jewel in the country, Ash could now envision the destruction that was about to take place here. How could we have let this happen? Team Rocket had shown that they were capable of doing something like this. Why had they never been reined in? If only we had taken them seriously something like this would never have happened. Of course the answers to those questions aren't simple. There's no clear-cut answer as to why there was essentially nothing done.

Deep in thought, Ash didn't notice he'd arrived at the gym until a hand on his shoulder stopped him. A psychic trainer under Sabrina pointed him in the direction he wanted. With Team Rocket still on his mind, he stepped through the threshold of where Sabrina was supposed to be. His left eye twitched. He dropped his pack with Pikachu at the door. There in front of him, sitting in the chair looking like nothing at all had happened, legs crossed, sitting up prim and proper, was Misty. His eyes became glued to her form. She was wearing something he'd only seen once on her. It was a long light blue strapless dress. She had worn it for their last anniversary of the day they'd met.

Ash walked cautiously to the chair next to hers. Their eyes never wavered from the other's. He slipped into the chair and brushed her arm while making it look like an accident. He felt her for sure this time. There was no Sabrina in the room even though he was told that she would be here. In fact, the room was almost empty. The chairs they were in, a few dressers and a record player were the only things in the room. It wasn't small either. It could probably fit quite a few more furnishings. A large carpet in the center of the room with nothing on it dominated most of the space.

No words had passed between them. Their eyes were still locked. His eyes said why. Her eyes said it didn't matter. Ash didn't notice the tear until she wiped it off his face. She kept her hand on his cheek. The warmth of it seeped through his skin to his soul. He noticed the record player in the corner begin to move without anyone touching it. The soft sounds of the record turning preceded the light waltz that followed.

Her eyes said dance. His eyes said lets. He grabbed the hand on his cheek and led her to the floor. The purpose of the room became obvious. What Sabrina was doing with a room like this Ash couldn't even guess at. The pair stopped in the center of the carpet. He took her hand in his, placed the other on her waist, and she placed her hand on his shoulder.

They cut a path across the room. She twirled, he held on tight. She kicked, he moved in closer. She jumped, he caught her. He tried to peer into her eyes again, but she was moving too fast. There is nothing like feeling the female form dance like only they can. When they know what they're doing even the lightest contact sends shocks through your entire body. Misty took on her nature when she danced. She became like water. She would slide through his hands, mold to his body, and move as if there wasn't a bone in her body. What had started as a sedate waltz had quickly transformed into something a little sexier. Ash grabbed at her hips and pulled her in tight. She pressed her breasts against his chest and finally looked up at him again.

His eyes said love. Her eyes said indifference. He stopped. Following his lead, she stopped. While dancing Ash didn't notice the positions they had been in, but now that they had stopped with their hips joined together and her chest crushed against his, his body noticed. He stepped out of her grip and turned around. He took two steps before he couldn't take anymore. Now that she was actually here he couldn't risk losing her again for no reason other than what he had seen in her eyes.

Ash forced himself to face her again. Her eyes showed nothing. His eyes bared his soul. "What was that all about?"

That light forsaken smile touched her lips. "We hadn't done that in forever. I wanted to see if you'd lost it yet."

He shook his head. "Like riding a bike and such it requires no explanation. It also depends on the dance I guess. I couldn't forget the steps to that one if I tried. Those moves are burned in my mind."

"I guess I'm just too hot for your brain to handle."

Before he could laugh out loud his mind screamed at him. His body became hot and he grabbed the chair and smashed it into the other one. "What the hell is this, Misty!? Enough with the jokes and the useless words! What are we doing?" He calmed down enough to plead with her. "Please. Tell me because I don't understand anymore."

She bent down and picked up a piece of chair. She twirled it in her fingers before answering. "We're doing what we've always done. We would fight all the time when we were young. The love was there the whole time, but we still fought. What's so different this time?"

"What you said is what's different!"

Misty perked up visibly and dropped the piece of wood. "Oh really. Did my words have that much of an effect on you? I'll bet you can't even repeat them, can you?"

"'At least I am…'" But he couldn't say it. The words cut too much. If he was the one saying them he didn't think he could survive the torture. Just remembering them was enough to make him want to vomit. "You know what you said." But there was nothing behind his retort. She had beaten him to a pulp without throwing a punch.

"That's too bad." She wrapped a strand of her hair in her finger then let it fall. "If I were to tell you that I still loved you, would you believe me?"

As he was about to immediately reply yes, their eyes met once more. Her eyes said she was lying. His eyes said he wished he didn't care that he knew. He closed the windows to his soul. There was no going back to the way it was now.

His eyes said he knew. Her eyes said she knew. She stepped into his arms and he embraced her with all his might. It felt like the ending to something that had only just begun. Their six years together closing prematurely. She looked up at him and her eyes flashed purple.

Blackness. Darkness. Shadows. A memory.

He was running through the Viridian forest. It was not night yet, but it was fast approaching. His hand felt at his pocket where a small object lay.

"NNNOOOOOOOO!" Ash regained clear thought as the deafening cry reverberated off the walls. When his vision returned he found Sabrina slumped against the wall, her twilight cloak crumpled around her. "YOU WILL NOT MAKE ME REMEMBER THAT!" He charged across the room and grabbed her by the collar. Her dark blue eyes tried to force him back with their menace, but he would not be compliant. "What the fuck is wrong with you, you stupid bitch!? Were you going through my memories!?" She turned her face away from his. Her long black hair came up and settled over her chest. Another thought crossed his mind. When he'd walked in there had been no one sitting in the chair, and then… "YOU MESSED WITH MY HEAD! MISTY WASN'T EVEN HERE, WAS SHE!?"

In his rage he threw her across the room. Before she hit the wall she psychically stopped her flight. The green streak in her hair became visible as her hair fanned out behind her. "You've already thrown me against one wall, Ash. I believe that will be enough for today." She raised her hand and Ash, who had been getting closer, stopped moving.

He struggled against the invisible force that held him to no avail. "Fuck off, Sabrina! You think I'm going to let you off with just that? You violated my mind! Argh!" Ash kept struggling. As hard as he tried he couldn't get out of whatever was holding him.

"No matter what you may think it was for the best." Ash hated how Sabrina's voice never changed. It was always flat and monotone. Her face never changed either. "This isn't the time for us to be fighting."

"I don't give a damn what time it is! You fuck with my head I'll fuck with you! You crossed a line, Sabrina. Now let me go!"

"I'm sorry, Ash. We have a war to fight today, so I can't let you go yet." She went silent for a moment. When Ash tried yelling again he found that his voice was gone. Nothing he did mattered so he went limp and waited. A finger went to her lips and tapped them. She tsked. "Anything else I do today will probably put you out of commission for the coming battle. We can't lose you at this crucial time. Don't bother looking for me, you won't find me." With a flash of white she disappeared along with his restraints.

The door behind him smashed to splinters as Pikachu blew a hole right through it. Pikachu blinked as if he was surprised he'd gotten in. Ash didn't even realize that Pikachu had been missing. Sabrina must have locked him out when he had dropped his bag.

God damn her! What was he supposed to do now? Go on like nothing happened? She had mind-fucked him. Why though? What was the purpose? Using Misty to throw him off balance was unexpected. How did she even know that Misty wasn't with him anymore? So many questions and no answers. She was right about one thing: he did have a war to fight. He had done his job here and now it was time to do the other tasks asked of him. Mainly to kill as many Rockets as he could that tried to pour in through the east.

(Break)

For only the second time in his long life Blaine was feeling absolutely terrified. Having gone through a few decades without fearing for his well being, the last week had shaken him to the core. He had been given the power to destroy at an astounding rate, yet the enemy had the same power. There was nothing stopping a lucky arrow in the back either.

He watched as Bruno and Lorelei headed east to their positions. Lance went north-east and Gary went directly north. His job was to take the south-west with Lara while the other potential masters, including Koga and Aya, all went south. Trainers of all sorts followed wherever they went. The gym leaders and Elite Four all acted as generals in this time of war. Blaine didn't like that either. He was no general. Get someone who actually knows what they're doing to lead the troops. Just because something's been done for thousands of years doesn't mean it can't be changed. Rocks erode, continents move, no reason a normal soldier can't be placed above a gym leader.

The man he was referring to was Josh. A normal soldier that kept the peace in Indigo, he had actual field experience in leading soldiers against Rocket attacks. Minor skirmishes they may be, but at least it was something. All Blaine had was years of fighting one on one with trainers. Josh was traveling with them to their position, and, although Blaine was the one in charge, it would be Josh who would be making all the split-second decisions.

Lara, on top of her Rapidash beside him, grabbed his hand. "I see you looking at him. If you want to talk to him, you should. He is the one who knows how something like this is going to go." She kissed his hand then let it drop.

"You're right." He sighed. "I shouldn't be shy at this age, should I?" He called out to Josh who was a few steps behind them on his own steed. When he came even with the pair he nodded his head at them. "I'm sorry to intrude on your plans, Josh, but despite my age I still appear to be able to feel fear. I was wondering if you could help me with that."

Josh smiled. "That's quite the way to put it, Blaine." He paused looking down at the reins in his hands. "In the end it doesn't matter if you're scared or not. As long as you don't really puss out and run there's nothing wrong with being scared. Once you're in the heat of battle you'll forget all about it."

"Ah." It wasn't the answer Blaine had been looking for. "Got any other pieces of advice you can give us?"

"Yeah. I do actually." Josh looked straight in Blaine's eyes. "If you, for any reason, before the battle starts, say, 'it's the calm before the storm,' I will kill you right then. There are a few more analogies I can't stand as well, but that's the big one. Remember that." Josh turned his horse and went back to the group of officers he had been with.

"Strange," said Lara. "I wasn't expecting that."

"He must read a lot of books or something. They use that often in war stories. Everyone has their little quirks I guess."

"I love your little quirks."

"That's to be expected. I'm not too fond of your habit of eating peanuts in bed."

"C'mon that's not so bad, everyone loves peanuts."

"You could at least buy the ones that have already been de-shelled."

"Now where's the fun in that? That's like not wrapping the presents up at Christmas, opening them is half the fun."

"That's the most ridiculous example you could have used."

"Oh, yeah? Think of a better one then."

Blaine tried, he really did. Nothing came to him, though. "I can't think of anything at the moment. I will though." Blaine puffed out his chest and pointed his thumb at himself. "I won't let this challenge beat me, the master of riddles."

Lara just laughed.

(Break)

A few hundred miles away in Viridian, Giovanni waited. He held four of the five western cities and in his mind he could see himself gaining the last two eastern cities. The only ones left would be Indigo, Celadon, Cerulean and Fuchsia. Plans for Celadon and Fuchsia were already underway. Indigo was another story. He'd thought about attacking it now while they were defending Saffron, but he couldn't guarantee they would all be there. And if he'd lost both Saffron and Indigo because he'd been greedy he wouldn't know what to do with himself.

All of that was only theoretical. Right now his only concern was for Saffron. His armies should be in place and attacking very soon. After this battle, Indigo would be the only hold the League had. Nothing could stop him then.

He had been patient for far too long. What had started out as a small group of his closest consorts, powerful trainers all, had grown exponentially. To make his wildest dreams come true he had spent an exorbitant amount of his personal fortune. Now, he had the most powerful insurgent group in the world. Striking fear into the hearts of men, they worked for him and made him more money than he could ever hope to use in his lifetime. Money was not what he craved now. Now he wanted power.

It had taken much longer than he had hoped. Recruiting had been difficult. Those who would join were not the kind of people who liked to be found. Of course there had been times of trouble. Attempts on his life, massive police crackdowns, incompetent members, and the general disruptions of the League caused many delays.

He looked up at the knock on the door. Waving Jason in, he put away what he'd been looking at in the bottom drawer of his desk. "Any news yet?" he asked.

"For now we wait. The main body should nearly be there." Jason sat down in the chair across from Giovanni. "Things are going smoothly, don't you think?"

He thought. "Yes, other than a few minor hiccups things have been going according to plan. We're capturing the major cities easily, maybe slower than we wanted, but it's being done. We are progressing efficiently on to the next stage of the prophecy, if it comes to that."

"You're hesitant to increase the chaos?"

"Of course I am. Something like that shouldn't be released into this world without good reason."

"What will you do if we can't take Saffron?"

Giovanni paused. That was something he'd thought long and hard about. Since Saffron was so close to one of the central points it would be easy to take it. That is, if he dared to use it. "I don't know, Jason."

"What do you mean you don't know? You're our leader. You must know what we will do under every circumstance." Jason edged closer to the desk while his eyes bored deep into Giovanni's unchanging expression.

He folded his hands in front of his face. "You know as much as I do, Jason. We can't make that decision too lightly. Do you think we know absolutely everything that will happen? Do you know for sure that we can control it?" He closed his eyes and sighed. His mind was in turmoil over the fact that he might destroy exactly what he wanted using something he didn't perfectly understand. "Because I don't."

Jason sat back and imitated Giovanni's pose. "Okay. I agree with that, sir."

"Don't do that. It annoys me when you try to be like me."

"Sorry, sir." He unfolded his hands. "The question ought to be answered though. What will we do if we're pushed back?"

Giovanni stared at him. In his mind he shifted through all the possible outcomes of the battle. Then he went through all the possible retaliatory actions he could take. There was one possibility that stuck out from each category. "It all depends on what happens during the battle. If, for instance, the League retains most of their Masters, and we're forced to retreat for some reason, we can rethink our strategy. If we're completely routed, then I might seriously reconsider my position on the use of the next stage."

Jason remained silent, taking it all in. Then he said, "What do you mean, 'we're forced to retreat for some reason?'"

"I've given all the commanders the order to retreat if a certain condition is met."

"What is that condition?"

"Failure in Celadon."

(Break)

By the time they had reached their defensive position, Blaine and Lara were comfortable showing a little affection in public. Nothing too obvious or embarrassing, just a touch here, a stroke there. They were both relearning the game and enjoying it.

They looked over the route to get into Saffron they were defending and found nothing they liked. It was a construction zone where they had recently knocked down three or four buildings. The open area allowed for the movement of a large number of troops and easy access to the city proper.

"Okay people! Let's do this right!" Josh's voice rang out from the front. "I want anyone who can shoot an arrow to occupy the second to fifth floors of the surrounding buildings! All fire type trainers you will stay on the first floor! One Pokémon per window! Electric types who know Thunder get on the roofs! If you don't know Thunder you will team up with the water types! I want water filling this entire area! Make this place into a giant swimming pool! The rest of you will stay behind the water zone and create a defensive wall! You know your jobs, now get to it!"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

While everyone hurried to their assigned positions Blaine went out to see Josh. He had called for the fastest riders other than Lara. When Blaine reached him, Josh sent them away.

"What are those guys for?"

"Scouts. They're going to tell us when they're coming and how many there are."

"Good idea."

Josh waved him along. "Come with me." They walked over to the nearest building. Inside, Lara had set up a table with a map of the area on it. Josh pulled out one of his knives and stuck it in a point near where they stood. "That's the breaking point. If they can push us past here, we're done."

"Why over yonder?" Asked Lara.

"Up to that point they'll be fighting uphill. If we fall back past that point, we'll be tripping over ourselves. It's also much easier to shoot down than up."

"That's why you wanted the archers above the first floor," added Blaine.

"Exactly." Josh pointed to a wide open area out front. "Hopefully we'll have enough time to get a couple inches of water here. That way we can use the electric Pokémon in a more effective way."

Lara finally asked the question she'd been holding in since she met Josh. "What do y'all think are our chances?"

As she thought, he didn't answer right away. He pulled his knife out of the table, checked the point, and fiddled with it for a while. "When I was younger my Grandpa used to tell me stories of men who did great things. Like Arbor who saved an entire village from a forest fire with his Squirtle, or Mordle who fought off ten men who were attacking a woman with his bare hands." He sighed long and hard. "Those stories inspired me to be the man I am today. I wanted to become someone whose life would be told in such a fashion to the kids of the next generation." He turned to look at each of them before continuing. "I think it would take a feat as grand as one of those stories from one of us to save us all."

Blaine and Lara were bewildered. "We must have some sorta chance!" she exclaimed.

Josh shook his head. "They are coming at us with half of one of their main legions. Do you even understand what that means? We have how many at last count? One hundred? Two?"

"One sixty-seven." Blaine had been told the figure during the ride over.

"I can easily say that they'll have twice that number. They'll have twenty times, maybe thirty times the number of Pokémon Masters we have. And that's including you in the count, Lara."

"So you don't think there's any way we can win?"

"At this point I'm not hoping to win. I just want to whittle them down enough so that they can't do much else after they take Saffron. I have family in Indigo and I never want to see a Team Rocket flag waving above the Palace. The only thing we have going for us is that we're defending and we know the lay of the land. They don't."

The three of them stood in uncomfortable silence around the table. It took a lot of courage for Blaine to grab Lara's hand and lead her upstairs. There they found a room empty of people and closed the door behind them.

They each fell into a chair and closed their eyes. "Do you believe him?" asked Lara.

"Yes. I do." He moved his chair next to hers and held on to her tightly. "These could be the last moments we spend together."

"I know, sugar pie, I know."

He had lived a long life up to this point. A five year midlife crisis Pokémon journey and thirty some odd years as a gym leader wasn't a bad life. It had taken him a long time to find love. So long that he half figured he was destined to die alone. Then he met Lara.

"Do you remember when we first met?"

"O'course I do! I was eight years old and my mah was looking to breed with your Rapidash."

"No! No! Not that time. I meant the one that actually counts."

Lara giggled. "I do count that as our first meetin' though. Y'all was so handsome. You had most of your hair color if not your actual hair at the time."

"Since you don't seem to know what I'm talking about, I'll tell you." He coughed and prepared to launch into a long winded story.

"Don't bother. It'd take you hours to tell that story and we don't have time. Besides, I was there, you don't need to tell me."

"What about when we went to Koga's surprise birthday party?"

"Oh wow! They kept getting Koga drunker and drunker cause we tellin 'im he was drinkin' pomegranate juice."

"And you had to tackle me because I was about to tell him."

"Well y'all shouldn'a tried to save 'im. You were gonna spoil all of our fun, hun. Ash and Misty had never seen him drunk before.

"Those were the days. Everyone was so happy back then. Was it really only a little over a week ago that the world was at peace? It's all come down to this one heart-stopping moment, where the greatest military mind of our time says we don't have a chance and darkness is all that awaits us if we lose."

"You say that, but what can we do?" Some of the despair she had crept into her cry. "You heard what Josh said, they have twice as many men as we do."

"That may be, but I say our women are twice as powerful as theirs."

"Oh you. Quit tryin' to cheer me up. We're all going to die and we both know it."

"That's precisely why I need to cheer you up. It's better to die with a smile on your face don't you think?"

"You know what will really put a smile on my face?"

"What?"

"Kiss me."

So he did. Softly, tenderly. He made sure she felt his love for her through the kiss. There was a knock at the door and Josh asked to come in.

"Enter."

Josh looked sick. "The scouts have re…turned." His voice broke and he slumped into the remaining chair. "Remember what I said about one of us needing to be a hero from a story? It's going to take every one of us to be a hero to even have a chance."

"What are you talking about? Spit it out, man!"

"They didn't split their army. The whole thing is coming down on our heads. They knew we'd have to protect both ways in and decided we are the perfect target. This way they can sweep through the west of Saffron and come around behind our defense line in the other positions."

"Light! We're doomed!"

Nobody had anything to say to that. What had started as an impossible mission had turned into a suicide mission. The trio walked back downstairs where the gloom and doom feelings were palpable. It had an affect on Blaine. It made him angry.

"Josh." His tone was immediately obvious to everyone and they paid attention. "Get everyone to gather out front." Josh ran to do his bidding.

"Hun? What are you going to do?" Lara latched onto his arm.

"I'm going to lead."

He wasn't happy that he was a leader. He wasn't happy that he was about to die. But the one thing he was really not happy about was that it looked like they were going to try to go down without a fight. And that was unforgiveable.

When all the men and women of the League army had gathered in front of him he put on his ugly face. As he looked at each of them he saw no hope. Only resignation. "It seems that word has gotten around as to what we're up against. I'm not going to lie to you. There are probably over five hundred Rocket soldiers bearing down on us right now. Some of the most gutless, ruthless, heartless, and a whole lotta other lesses that I can't even think of bastards. That's not even counting the Pokémon masters. Those with powers far greater than we can comprehend." There he paused, looking at all the wide eyes focused solely on him wondering where he was going with this. "You know what I say to that? SO WHAT!? We're the Pokémon League! We are the most powerful governing body in the entire world! We're scared of odds!? Not just odds, but four to one? We're all scared that we can't kill four people each? Are you a bunch of pussies!?"

He took a few breaths to calm himself down. Reaching into his front pocket he pulled out a piece of paper. "I've been carrying this around as motivation. I'll read it to you so you can understand what it is we're fighting for. This is a letter from Flint who is living in Pewter. This is his account of life in Pewter. 'Every day starts the same way. The leaders of the army pick out either their favorite girl or one they haven't had yet. They take them to their offices where they spend most of the day. The regular soldiers will then come knocking to collect the tax. When they're done you're not sure how you're going to survive the week. Most turn to theft. The army does nothing to stop it and the number of crimes escalates per day. Horrible murders of females have started to pop up and everyone is scared to go out at night. With Mt. Moon closed off the only way out of Pewter is Viridian. Ever since Ash and Gary snuck through nothing leaves Viridian alive. If this is what life under Team Rocket would be like if they won then consider me the most loyal League follower. I wouldn't wish this punishment on any person who considers themselves on the side of good.' He goes on to describe even more atrocities, but I think you get the point." He pointed back at Saffron. "In that city lie the paths to two more free cities. If we don't defend it, thousands of people will fall under the shadow of Team Rocket. Think of your families. They may not be in one of those cities, but what if they were? There are mothers, sisters, brothers, fathers, husbands and wives of other men and women waiting for news telling them whether they have to leave their homes or not. Do you want to abandon them to their fate? Just give up because it seems impossible? We don't do that! Why!?" Nothing. He tried again. "Why!?"

"Because we're the Pokémon League?" was his only reply.

"That's right! Who are we!?"

"The Pokémon League," from a few in the crowd.

"I can't hear you!"

"The Pokémon League." More.

Blaine was turning beet red as he picked up the intensity. "What the hell is wrong with you people!? We're about to fight for our lives and the lives of others! Now tell me! Who are we!?"

"The Pokémon League!" They were finally getting into it.

"Who!?"

"The Pokémon League!" All of them that time.

"Give me all you've got you bastards! Who are we!?"

"THE POKÉMON LEAGUE! THE POKÉMON LEAGUE! THE POKÉMON LEAGUE!"

"That's right! Now get back to your positions and make sure they know who we are!"

A roar unheard of in these parts sprang from the mouths of over a hundred fervent League soldiers. They sprinted back to where Josh had put them feeling more confident that they could, nay, would win the battle to come.

Blaine wished he could feel the same way. He'd put everything he had into that speech and now he was tired. Lara had been by his side throughout the entire spectacle and now she helped him back into the building. He collapsed into the nearest chair and looked to Josh.

He smiled at him warmly. "You did well, Blaine. More than I expected from an old guy like you."

"Thanks for the compliment and this," he stuck up his middle finger, "is for the insult. How much time do we have before they get here?"

"Ten minutes tops."

"I guess I'd better get ready then. If those people out there see the man who riled them up looking like what he really is, old, they might get discouraged again."

Josh laughed. "You might be right, Blaine. I'll leave you to it then." He stepped out and went to make some final adjustments on the positioning.

Lara bent over and gave him a big hug. "That was incredible, Blaine. I've never felt anything like that before. Winning a race was never as exhilarating as that was. After that, I really do feel like we could win."

Blaine slumped down in his chair. "No you don't, Lara. You know we can't win." This time he went to her and held her. "That's why you have to go."

She pushed him away. "What?"

"The armies to the east need to know about the situation here. You're the fastest rider we have. You need to tell them."

"And leave you here to die?"

"You don't think we're going to win anymore?"

She slapped him across the face. Hard. "How dare you make jokes at a time like this! You want me to leave you here to face insurmountable odds as I run away to tell everyone to prepare for your funeral!?"

Blaine wiped away the tears that cleaved their path down her cheeks. "Do this for me. Please. I'll feel better if I know you're safe."

"Safe? How could I be safe? Team Rocket's about to blow through you guys and essentially win this war." She tenderly cupped his face in her hands. "I'll only be safe with you by my side."

"That's a harsh thing to say to a man who is about to die."

"No. Don't you say that, Blaine. Promise me you'll live through this."

"There's no way…"

She cut him off. "Promise me! Blaine, master of fire, leader of the Cinnabar Island gym, promise me you'll live through this, and I will go."

It became a moot point whether he would live or not. He would promise her anything she wanted if she would leave. "Lara Larame, head of the Larame racing clan, I promise that I will live through this battle. For the sole reason that I will see you again.

Another kiss. This one with a lot more passion. When they separated they were both out of breath. With tears in her eyes, Lara took off. Blaine followed her out the door and watched as she called out her Rapidash. In one swift movement that would make any Larame proud she leaped on and kicked the horse into gear.

When she was almost out of sight a red glow burst around her. "I guess I put her under a lot of stress." He found Josh at the edge of the water and informed him of his decision.

"Don't worry Blaine," he clapped him on the shoulder. "I understand."

Blaine signaled to him. "Are we ready?"

"As ready as we'll ever be."

"How long until they get here?"

"We should see them any time now coming up that street."

Blaine walked purposefully towards his troops. He stopped at a position behind the large body of water with almost half his forces behind him. Making sure he was clearly visible to everyone, he watched the street Josh had pointed out. A cloud was slowly trailing upwards above where he thought the army must be marching. It was strange though. Why would there be a cloud of dust when they were walking on paved streets? He couldn't think of anything before he saw the very first row of Rockets come into view.

They were marching ten abreast down the road. The first four columns were filled with different colored cloaks with no discernable pattern. At the head rode three ground masters and two fire masters. Behind all of the colored cloaks, row after row of uniformed Rocket grunts strode as one. A gust of wind blew towards the defenders, and upon it the chant of the attacking army could be heard.

_Those who were once underground,  
Now fill this world with our sound!  
Fear us and all our power,  
Taken from the dark tower!_

Josh blanched. "Well if that doesn't make you want to vomit, I don't know what would. They're doing a mighty fine job of making us want to turn and run."

"Too bad we can't." The column had stopped right before the waterline and appeared to have no intention of going any further. "Turns out they're not stupid either. I wonder what they're going to do about it though."

An explosion in front of them made them look to the building furthest away from them that they occupied. The screams of dozens of trainers tried to drown out the destruction of the other two buildings, but didn't quite make it. In one swift blow half of their forces had been destroyed. Team Rocket hadn't even come within a quarter mile yet. From the rubble of the buildings came two Dugtrios and a Sandslash. Apparently each one had been ordered to destroy the supports of one building.

Thankfully only a few of the League soldiers broke and ran. Blaine watched them dispassionately as they fled back into the center of Saffron. Nothing he said would convince them to come back. Fight or flight are the only choices humans are given. It wasn't in his nature to force anyone to fight.

Overcoming the water barrier seemed to be vexing Team Rocket. They still hadn't pushed forward even after the destruction of the buildings. They kept up the repetition of those four horrible lines, but they didn't move. Ironically the cloud of dust made by their march hanging above them was getting bigger. It wasn't until a few minutes later when he could hear the roars above the chant that Blaine understood what that cloud really was. In unison, a dozen Charizards dove towards the water and blasted it with as much heat as they could muster. Steam rose quickly into the air as the water evaporated.

Blaine gave the signal to stop the water Pokémon. There was no longer any reason to use up their energy on such a pointless venture. With nothing standing between them and the Rocket army, it took the will greater than any one man could posses for Blaine to concentrate enough to bring his elemental weapon into being. He raised his double-ended sword into the air and swung it forwards to point at the adversary. Using that one move as his signal, he charged forwards into the heart of the enemy. He gave no vocal orders, he didn't look back, he didn't know if they would follow, in the end, it didn't matter to him. With a heavy heart he headed straight for his death.

Every once in a while the world gives you what you want most. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, it's called a miracle. Blaine witnessed one the moment he saw the first League soldier run past him. Then another, and another, and another until what was left of his command was running side by side with him. He called out his Magmar and stopped on the spot for a moment. Pointing his hands at a forty-five degree angle he shot a blast a fire towards the head of the army. He didn't check to see whether he'd done any damage, he just tried to keep up with the youngsters.

Screams hit his ears as he saw the world explode in front of him. The Pokémon Masters for Team Rocket plowed through the front lines of his troops. Running through the debris he and those around him found themselves face to face with their front lines. It came as a shock to both sides until Blaine started cleaving his way through them all. Not caring who or what he struck, Blaine swung without mercy. Those around him fell back at the ferocity of his attack. Shields were conjured quickly out of whatever element the creator had control over.

A ground master carrying what looked like a club made of black soil jumped in front of his next assault. Blaine twisted around and slammed his sword towards the man's gut. He was parried mercilessly and almost lost his balance. The ground master took advantage and swung his mighty club right at Blaine's face. The mistake Blaine made was to try and block it. He underestimated the strength of the blow and felt his right arm snap. He immediately made one side of his double sword disappear and shifted to his left hand.

With nothing left to him, Blaine fought dirty. His first instinct was to thrust his sword into the ground master's club. As easily as that was accomplished, he didn't know what to do next. Acting upon intuition only, he sent a blast of elemental power through his sword into the club. The club exploded into a million shards of darkest soil. With his cloak wrapped around him, Blaine only took minor damage. He only had a moment to appreciate the damage he had done to the master before he saw Josh fall with an arrow in his chest and then everything went black.

(Break)

Why are there wars? The question had come upon Lorelei unexpectedly. She had only been thinking of J.T. back home when it had broken through her thoughts. The question was a valid one. Their generation had gone their entire lives without a war. In fact, at least the last twenty generations had gone without a war. Why should one come up now? What was the trigger? Have people like Giovanni not been born in the last thousand years? If so, why was this one allowed so much free reign? It hurt her head to think about it. She was about to ask Bruno, but decided not to trouble him with such a trivial thing.

The two of them were leading their meager group of League soldiers to their assigned position, the south-east of Saffron. Agatha had said she didn't expect much to come their way, so they had received the least amount of troops. Coming in at thirty trainers, two Pokémon Masters, and sixteen normal soldiers, they were a shabby bunch at best. The area they had been sent to protect was the middle class residential area. This was the place with the most houses grouped together and the most difficult to maneuver in.

Lorelei scanned the area for signs of enemy troops, but found none. It looked as though no one had passed through the area after it had been evacuated. She went to Bruno's side as he gathered in all the troops.

"Look, guys," he began, "we have a wide and difficult position to defend. What we're going to do is split up into groups of two. Each group will occupy the second floor of every ten houses. Far enough that we cover enough ground, but close enough to be able to reach each other when we need to. If you see a large group of Rockets coming, do not, I repeat, _do not_ attack them on your own. One of you will leave your position and gather everyone else. Lorelei and I will be in this house here," he pointed to a non-descript looking two story squat house. "Get here as fast as you can if you see any Rocket movement."

As the men dispersed, Lorelei held on to Bruno's arm. More questions swirled in her head. Questions with no answers. What would make a man desire power over everything? Why would you ever need to kill? Wouldn't the death of a person make you shy away from gaining something as ethereal and fragile as power?

She was the smartest and coldest of the Elite and she hated not knowing the answer to any of the questions. Philosophy was not her strong suit and that was the only subject that could possibly come up with an answer.

The corridor behind the door of the house Bruno had pointed out was small and cramped. It was painted a shocking pink that strained her eyes. It only got worse when they entered the dining/living room. It was an even worse green that clashed with the pink in a horrible way.

"Ughh," she moaned. "What was this person thinking? Those colors are atrocious." She circled the room, hypnotized. "I think I'd go insane living here."

Bruno grunted like only he could. "Good thing you don't have to then." He pulled out a chair in the dining area and rested his arms on the glass table. "Bring out that map Agatha gave us."

From inside her cloak she pulled out a small electronic device. She placed it on the table and pushed the 'power' button. Out of the top came a projected hologram of where they were. It showed their location in the center and a view from above of one square mile all around them. It showed that the house they were in was in the middle row of one side of a square street of houses. Each row contained twenty houses built with an adjoining wall. The ones on the end only had one house connected with them, but all the others had two. Every structure contained its own medium sized, fenced-in backyard as well. In the middle of the square was a patch of grass that barely qualified as a field. Behind the row of houses to the left and directly ahead were two other square blocks of houses. These had houses in the middle instead of a field. All the houses looked essentially the same with only minor differences in color and upkeep of the general space surrounding them. Behind their row was a main street. Across that was a local shopping mall. At the rear of the last row, the one to the right, was the street that crossed the main one and led to the opening into the division. Across from that was a small forest with a ravine running through its middle.

"This is quite the battleground we have here," commented Bruno. "It's cramped yet filled with open spaces."

"What do you think, hun?"

"About what?"

"Sorry, about what are plan should be."

Bruno rubbed the stubble on his chin as he poured over the area. "The best plan would be to try and stay in the shadows and pick them off one by one. We should try and avoid the open areas such as the field out front or the parking lot behind us." Bruno touched those areas and flags appeared. "Other then that we have to wait and see what they bring at us."

Lorelei sat down opposite him "Too bad we don't have any communication devices so we could organize our troops a little better." The questions popped in her head again. She tried to ignore the buzzing, but couldn't. "Bruno," he looked up from his perusal of the terrain, "why are we fighting a war?" As he opened his mouth to say something, she held up her hand. "Wait, let me finish. I don't mean why are we fighting now, I understand that very clearly. But why do we fight wars in general? What makes it okay to kill another human being?"

"There is no right answer to that, Lorelei." His answer was quick as if he'd though about it himself at some point. "Wars are fought for one of many good and bad reasons. Giovanni fights for power. We fight to protect our loved ones and those we have given our oath to serve. Are those the only reasons worth fighting for? Of course not. I do believe ours is the only justifiable one."

"Can you really say any reason justifies killing?"

"If you are forced to defend your reason for existence," at this, his eyes bore into her own making it very clear what his reason was, "you must do everything within your power to defend it." His face grew darker as he finished. "If that means killing someone, then by the light I will rob them of their life as quickly as I can."

She grabbed his hand and stroked the back of it until he calmed down. She didn't know he would get as heated as he did when she began. All of her questions hadn't been answered yet, but his forceful nature pushed them out of her head for the time being. The quiet of the house squeezed her head as she waited for something to shatter it to pieces. What was needed was a subject that ignored the war and let them relax as they waited for the dreadful cries that would deafen their ears.

Nothing came to her, but something came to him. "What can you do with your powers? I've been able to increase my speed and strength far beyond what I'm normally able to do."

"The obvious things, like Mist and Ice Beam. There's also this other thing where it feels like ice forms almost unconsciously on my body. I have to concentrate to make sure my body temperature doesn't fall too far." She looked down at the table. "I… I'm afraid of it to be honest. I don't think it would kill me, but I'm afraid of what you would feel if I let it go all the way."

They switched grips and now he was holding her. "Do it."

"What?"

"Go all the way." His eyes gripped hers as hard as his hands were. "I need to accept all of you. Don't hide this from me. We can handle it together. Go all the way."

She nodded. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she exhaled her breath came out as a fog. Starting from her lips her skin became paler. She followed Bruno's eyes as he tracked the progress of her skin discoloration until it reached him. He didn't pull away and he didn't register any shock.

"That's not so bad. Your skin tone is different and the air is colder, but it's nothing too serious."

She couldn't handle it anymore. The power was urging her on. Now that she had given it a chance it was taking everything she gave it. A single solitary drop of water streaked slowly down her cheek "I'm sorry, Bruno." The tear froze just before it dropped off her jaw. Her icy glow exploded out of her back and the chair she was on along with everything behind her became covered in ice. It took all of her mental strength to keep it aimed away from Bruno, but the contact he had with her hands made it impossible for him not to feel the extremely low temperature that was emanating from her body.

Her hands shook as he tried to release her. The moment they broke apart there was a sickening ripping sound as he almost lost a layer of skin. As it was it looked like he might have a case of frostbite. He shivered underneath his cloak and stared at his red hand. "Okay Lorelei, I understand now. Bring it back. Control it once more."

She reigned in her power and felt her temperature rising back to normal. The chair she was on was too cold for her now so she moved it. Everything behind her was still frozen. It was chilling to stay in the same spot so they moved into the living room. She pointed back at the ice clinging to the walls. "This isn't even what scares me. It feels wonderful when I do it. That's what scares me. It feels like I'm returning to who I am supposed to be. Or maybe… _what_ I'm supposed to be." He told her not to hold anything back. That's the only thing that made her say, "If you don't want to be with me anymore…" Her voice trailed off. She couldn't finish the most disgusting sentence that had ever passed through her lips.

She knew that Bruno was a violent man. He told her early in the relationship that though he loved to fight he would never strike her. It still surprised her when his fist went crashing through the wall behind him, exposing the backyard to the living room. "Don't you ever say that again!" Rushing to her side he grabbed her in as big a bear hug as he could muster. "I swear to you that no matter how cold you get I'll always be there to warm you up."

"Now that, is a truly wonderful line, Bruno." She pressed her head deep into his chest and whispered, mostly to herself, but loud enough that Bruno could hear it, "I pray that you never forget it."

They spent the next little while together like that until, embarrassed, they separated. "I'm not used to saying things like that." Bruno scratched the back of his head in that embarrassed fashion. He was surprised to find ice crystals still frozen in his hair. "Is there something we can talk about that won't make us go into hysterics?"

Lorelei giggled a bit. That was before the door burst open. One of their men hurried to their side. He shivered as he passed the frozen wall and made his report. "A decent sized group of Rockets heading in from the north, sir. There appear to be about fifty of them."

"That would be the ones who were guarding the pass to Lavender." Bruno went back to the dining table and grabbed the map. He brought it over to the floor and sat Indian style in front of it. The others emulated him. "Give me the locations of all the other pairs including where your partner is situated at this time." The soldier touched each house that the teams occupied and red dots appeared over each position. "And they're coming in from where?" He dragged his finger along the road that came in from the north directly ahead of them. They'd be in one of the squares with houses in the middle. "That's lucky for us. How far along do you think they'll be now?" Saying that they didn't look like they were in a hurry, he pointed only a hundred or so meters further along, circling the left side of the square.

"This looks perfect for us." Lorelei pointed to a point ahead of the Rockets in the direction they were going. "Here. This is where you can enter the square to the left of us with more houses in the middle. Keeping them cramped again. If we can force them to take that route then we should maintain a slight edge."

"That sounds like a good plan. The thing is, how do we force them to go that way?"

"We'll figure something out on the way. Let's go before we lose our chance."

(Break)

"You know what, Butch. This is kind of boring, don't you think?" Cassidy was on her high horse at the moment. Butch hated when she was like this. She's so much nicer when he has his hands around her throat. "The letter said we should stay along the eastern edge and pick up any stragglers retreating from the west. There's nobody here though. They obviously know they have nowhere to retreat to."

"Would you just shut up, Cassidy," he scratched out. "We're here to do a job. If that job entails we do nothing, then we do it." Something about the street they'd just come to seemed eerie. Although they all did now that they were abandoned. This one just rubbed him the wrong way though. "I want three masters ahead of us right now. Five trainers," he pointed them out, "you go scout the area. Make sure you check a few houses. Don't go through them all that'll take too long. Enough to make anyone who might be hiding out feel a little jumpy. Go!"

Cassidy watched them go. A few houses down one of them broke down a door and searched the house. "Feeling a little jumpy yourself, Butch?"

"No shit. There's something wrong about this place."

"What do you mean? I don't feel anything."

"That's cause you're an ugly bitch. Your ugly is enough to dampen all of your other senses." She tried to cuff him but he pulled his horse out of range. "I don't know what it is. No need to be caught off guard though." Right in front of the scouts appeared a man in maroon. When he punched one of them, Butch felt the force of the blow from where he was. "What did I tell you?"

After killing the first scout, he was obviously dead, the Master in the maroon cloak ran down a side street to the right. The other scouts headed back to the main group. "What are you doing, you retards!? Follow him!" Cassidy spurred her horse on and the fire masters with their own horses followed her.

Butch didn't bother. He was more interested in the surrounding houses. If there was one, there was bound to be more. "I want a house by house search now! Every single one of them! I want five people to a house. Flush them out and take them down." His men spread out quickly and began the long search. Almost immediately there was a flash in the third house to his left. A Pokémon trainer smashed through the second floor window with his Ivysaur out with him. He was quickly overtaken by one the Masters. Well this should be interesting, he thought.

(Break)

Cassidy could see her target just ahead. He was running, but she had a mount. There was no way he could outrun her. Her group had already crossed into the next division of houses. This Master had shown himself to be fairly strong, but she had four Pokémon Masters with her. She wasn't so shabby herself either.

(Break)

"There are only five chasing him, Mistress Lorelei. Should we still proceed?"

Lorelei bit her fingernail in nervousness. "There are four fire Masters. We should proceed. That should be a big enough hit to take them down a peg for now. Pass the okay along. The second they reach the house with the green garage, we attack."

The plan was simple enough. Use Bruno to create a ruckus, get them to follow him, lure them to the attack point, and blow them away. It worked a little bit. They would have preferred more attackers, but you take what you can get. Removing five of them would almost even the numbers. She watched closely until the enemy reached the point of attack. Bruno turned abruptly and charged up. Lorelei jumped out of her hiding spot and burst. She launched all of her power in one massive Ice Beam directly at the group. There was a flash of red right before her attack hit and she saw that only two of the Masters had been caught unawares. Those two went flying and crashed through the house along with her Ice Beam. The others were surrounded by a flame globe that her beam couldn't penetrate.

The rest of the men followed suit and began attacking with their own Pokémon. The globe came under a barrage that it couldn't possibly withstand. As it visibly started to weaken, Bruno charged in. With a powered up punch his fist blew right through the shield and connected with the face of one of the remaining Masters. Luckily for him, they wouldn't be able to recognize him anymore. That tends to happen when you don't have a face anymore. The woman who was with them threw something to the ground and grabbed the last Master. A smokescreen came up and shielded them from view. When it disappeared the pair was gone, leaving their horses behind.

The defenders wore smiles all around. They may not have gotten all of the attackers, but they didn't suffer one casualty. The twenty that had been gathered up quickly or not told to stay behind felt exhilarated.

Bruno added his own brand of humor to the situation. "Now, we just do that fifteen to twenty more times and we might just win without losing anyone." He went to Lorelei's side and whispered to her, "When I got close, I could make out the face of the woman. That blonde ponytail is recognizable from any distance. It was Cassidy, one of the Rocket Generals."

"That means Butch isn't far away," she whispered back. "Looks like we'll have some kind of fight on our hands."

(Break)

After the quick search of the division they had taken care of nine league soldiers with only one casualty of their own. Most of them had been just normal soldiers, but there were a couple trainers mixed in.

Butch was making his final tour when Cassidy came back holding up one of the masters who'd gone with her. "What happened to you?"

She shoved the man she was holding to the ground. "I fell into a stupid trap and since I had no back-up I had to use my escape route. This guy is the only other survivor. Turns out he's the only one quick enough to erect a shield when an Elite Four member is trying to freeze him to death. Too bad it drained him completely."

"Lorelei is here?"

"The glasses bitch herself. Hubby's here too. I saw him punch off a man's face. If it wasn't so disgusting it would have been cool." She made sure she had his attention. "They both have their Mastery. Ice and fighting of course."

Butch rubbed at his throat as he thought. "Interesting. Still bored, Cass?"

"Oh just go fuck yourself."

"Indeed. Did you get a look at how many there might be?"

"I took a quick count of about nineteen to twenty."

"We took out nine here. They were in the houses watching us. Some of them may have escaped out back though." He turned to his men. "We will be staying in this house. By we I mean Cassidy and I. I want the rest of you to find out everything you can about with whom we are fighting and where they are located. Look, don't touch. Come back in twenty minutes max. If you're not back by that time we'll assume you're dead. Fan out and search. Now!"

The pair entered the cookie-cutter house with only one thing on their mind.

"You almost died didn't you?"

"You know I fucking did."

"Good." He took a swing at her face and connected enough to stun her. He unzipped his pants and dropped them. "Don't bite or you'll get it worse. You know how it is by now."

(Break)

The remaining League soldiers were gathered at the meeting house when Bruno, Lorelei, and the victorious few returned. Bruno counted them quickly: seventeen. Thirty-nine people were left to face about forty-seven. Not as bad as two to one, but when you've only got two Masters the scale is different.

"We can't all stay here," he exclaimed. "Go back and hold some of the positions. We're going to have to wait and see what they do."

(Break)

When he was done with her he felt the same as always, unsatisfied. He had finished and cleaned up right before the deadline and the men starting trickling in. They told him of the terrain they were working with. It was a balanced area with a little of everything. Too many hiding places though.

"Cass! Wake the fuck up! I didn't hit you hard enough to keep you out this long." Cassidy came out of the house, her face obviously a little more damaged than before the men had left. They were used to it though. The men weren't really sure Cassidy didn't like it. "I've got a plan and I want you to hear it."

"Yeah, whatever."

He shook his head at her reply. "Would you pull yourself together? Light. Women. I'm willing to bet with that tactic they just used on you that they don't have too many people on their side either. If they have more than us I'd be surprised. What we're going to do is create nine groups of five with Cassidy jumping in wherever she'd like. From here we'll split up and try to pick them off as they sneak around on us. I don't want anyone to rush into anything. If you see someone running away from you, don't chase them. If you can kill someone from where you're positioned, don't hesitate to do so. Elite Four members Bruno and Lorelei are here. Do not engage them. Pick off their allies first."

"Okay. Shut up, Butch. Let's split up and head out."

(Break)

"That makes four now." Bruno had his hands covering his face in frustration. "I understand their tactic. They've split themselves up into groups larger than we can manage and they're picking us off one by one. Every time we try to converge on them with large numbers they split and disappear. Damn them! I knew those two were smart, but this is absurd! It's the perfect plan for this type of battle. We can't even do anything.

Lorelei was checking out the map which now had points marking the sightings of enemy troops. "Bruno. You said if we had to fight in the open, head to head, we'd lose right?"

"Yes."

"What if they know that too?"

(Break)

Butch met up with his four guys near the entrance to the final division. "They're in there somewhere boys. We've got them cornered now. I ordered the rest of the troops to surround this area. We're going to come at them all at the same time. If we're lucky they'll stay in the houses as we blow the shit out of them."

He knew better though. They weren't the Elite for nothing. They'd make their last stand in the field expecting such a ploy from them. That would be the end though. Most of the troops would die in the assault, but it would be worth it. What they didn't know won't matter in the end.

As he and his group crept in, he noticed a mist slowly forming low to the ground. It was obviously power wrought by Lorelei as it didn't go higher than a few inches off the ground. It was extremely thick however. There on the far side of the field, was the group of League soldiers. It didn't take long for him to pick out Bruno and Lorelei. They were the only ones in cloaks. Lorelei's eyes glowed a bright blue as she accessed her element, confirming his earlier suspicion.

He pulled up and whistled. From behind the houses the eight other groups came into view. There were a few gaps, but the League was essentially surrounded. From behind his group, Butch called out to the ones in the field.

"Bruno, Lorelei, so good to finally see you."

"Butch," Bruno shouted back. "I saw Cassidy earlier before she ran away like the pussy she is, so I assumed I'd have to listen to that horrible voice of yours."

"I will not take insults from you, Bruno!" shrieked Cassidy. "I'm not going to let you get away either." The Raticate at her feet growled menacingly. "Raticate's gotten all riled up trying to find an opponent worthy enough to fight."

Bruno called out his Pokémon. This seemed to be the signal as everyone, league and Rocket alike, called out everything they had. The Pokémon Masters called upon their elements and weapons were forged, attacks were prepared. "If you're coming, come and get it assholes."

Butch signaled the attack. The army charged headlong at the group and fired their attacks right at them. His feet suddenly felt cold and he watched as the mist sucked right back where it came from and formed a wall right in front of the League. The Rocket attacks dissipated once they hit. After the first volley the League, led by Bruno, went straight for the south.

They took some hits as they forced their way through, but they broke the line. The League soldiers headed straight for the mall on the other side. All of them, Butch noticed a second too late, except Lorelei. He only noticed when the temperature dropped about ten degrees in a second and he wondered why. He stopped his rush and tried to retreat. When the shockwave hit him it flattened him to the ground. A deep mist followed it, to cover her escape he assumed, and he knew he'd been outmaneuvered.

After the mist had cleared he felt safe enough to stand. When they had taken stock of everything, they had lost six to the initial escape and eleven to the ice. As a consolation prize they had killed three as they tried to leave. They were left with twenty-nine soldiers. If his eyes were good, and he knew they were, the League had thirty-two left.

"We're now outnumbered," Butch stated.

Cassidy spat. "So what? We have more Masters."

"Doesn't seem to have helped so far has it?"

"That was just one attack. She couldn't possibly do something like that again. Did you even see it? It must have used up everything she had." She kicked at one of the bodies closest to where Lorelei had been. "See, this guy's foot is completely ice now. There's no way she can do that again. Also notice she waited until the others were far enough away. She can't control it."

His vision went to the mall in the distance. "It's game of hide and seek now."

"Why don't we just blow it up?"

He wanted to call her a dumb bitch, but after her analysis of Lorelei's attack he swallowed the insult. "Look at how big that thing is. If they get out before we blow it, we'll be the ones with nothing left and the sitting ducks. No, we have to go in there and drag them out." He did a quick calculation in his head. "We'll do the same thing as before. Five groups of five and one of four. Try to split the Masters up evenly."

"Won't they be expecting that?"

"You got a better idea?" She said nothing. "Of course not. I don't even know why I asked." He looked over his ragged band of ex-invincible soldiers. "Same rules as before. This time, don't forget that not only are we the hunters, we're the hunted."

(Break)

In the sporting goods store that the surviving League members were holed out in, Bruno laid Lorelei down carefully in a sleeping bag. For the first time she had used a monstrous attack and it had knocked her out.

When he came out of the tent he found the throng encircling the entrance. "She's okay. She just needs some sleep. Saving all our necks took it out of her." He scrutinized them before continuing. "It's easy to see where this is going now. We have to play their game but better. They know how to hunt, and they have better hunters. We have to learn fast and hunt superior to them. It all starts here. With what you may ask? Hunting gear of course."

(Break)

Koga sipped at his small flask to calm his nerves. On the outside he appeared as he always did, the calm shrewd leader prepared for anything. In his mind _anything_ did not include a full scale war with Team Rocket. His insides were roiling more than a witch's brew. Aya walking along side him was probably the same way. He had schooled his sister well in hiding her emotions. She looked as calm as he did. If you knew where to look you could tell she wasn't. The thumb and middle finger of her left hand would touch involuntarily every now and then.

"Dear brother, I believe you are showing some nerves." Their eyes met for a moment.

He waved away her comment. "I am doing no such thing."

"That flask has been empty for quite some time. Yet," here she tapped her thumb again, "you keep trying to quench your thirst with it."

She had a point. "Very well. I think I am entitled to a few nerves don't you agree?" He pointed towards their destination. "At that place we're going to defend against half of the Rocket army." Turning around he spread his arms. "Defend it with this motley crew of trainers, soldiers and _potential_ masters." He returned to face forward. "What is a mastery of poison anyway? It sounds as ridiculous as being the master of dragons. Lance is going to have a rough time with that one."

"Lance aside, I'm sure we'll figure it out when it happens." She checked the map projecting from the palm of her hand. "We should be in position soon." They passed the last of the skyscrapers marking downtown, and found their defendable position. "Looks wonderful," Aya pronounced mockingly.

In front of them was a scarce forest. Almost a plain, it was a small wooded area. The contrast between it and the buildings behind them was striking. Before Aya had a chance to speak again, Richie joined the leaders.

"An interesting place to defend don't you think? His Pikachu perched on his shoulder he had a playful smile on his face. "It looks like a large park more than anything."

Koga coughed. "That is exactly what it is." He showed him the swing set off to the side. "The town built it for the inner city children. It is an easily defendable location. The trees and equipment will help break up their charge. The rolling land will allow us to hide ambushes."

"Why does it all look like it's dying?"

"As with many city projects it has fallen into disrepair from neglect and lack of funding." Koga pulled out some of the yellowish grass. "The lack of rain over the past week hasn't helped much either."

"I hope it isn't dry enough to catch fire during the battle. That would cause a host of problems. Although, it looks like it already is on fire." Richie pointed west. "Look at that."

'That' was a Rapidash heading their way as fast as it could go. It didn't slow up until it was right next to them. On top of the large horse was Lara Larame.

"Koga!"

"Lara, what has you all a flutter? Shouldn't you be with the army to the west?"

"Koga, where is Agatha? The base near the Pokémon center was empty."

"They moved it closer to the gym since the Rockets are attacking down here. Bill also moved the teleporter for them. What's the problem, Lara?"

"They're not coming like we thought they would. They brought everyone through the south-east." This stunned everyone present. "The army over there has probably been annihilated already. Blaine said he'd fight, but he didn't expect to win." Before anyone could see her tears, she finished. "I'm going to report to Agatha. I wanted to let you know since their next target is probably you." With that she spurred her horse north.

What she left behind was a group of apoplectic leaders. Both of Aya's hands were completely clenched and Koga squeezed his steel flask so hard it cracked down the middle. Richie discovered a nervous tick he'd never seen before in his right eye. Knowing he was out of his depth, he slowly slunk back into the ranks.

"What do we do, Koga?" He didn't reply. His gaze was fixed on the point where Lara had appeared. "Koga." Nothing. "For light's sake, Koga!" She grabbed his arm to grab his attention. He had this horrible look that Aya had never seen him make before. It confused her for a moment until she realized that her brother was afraid. That fact shook her to the core. That's what made it all real for her.

Almost as one, a purple glow burst around them. It felt warm and comfortable. It was as if something that had been inside them the whole time had woken up after a long, deep sleep. In other words it felt wonderful. The feeling was almost enough to knock the impending attack from the minds. Aya looked around to see if Richie had joined them but couldn't see him.

"Where'd Richie go?" They looked back through the men but he was nowhere to be found. "I wonder where he could have gone."

Koga cleared his throat. "We need to think quickly, Aya. There are many men about to come crashing on our door."

"Is there anything we _can_ do? Look at the place we're defending. It's too open, we'd just get surrounded."

Koga's eyes lit up. "Yes, that's it." He looked back at the cityscape behind them. "Surrounded." A cloak of purple appeared around his shoulders. "I think you've got the right idea, Aya."

"Huh?"

(Break)

News of the attack on Saffron had reached her just in time. By the time the Rocket army had finished with the south-west she was ready to meet them in Saffron proper.

It didn't take long for someone to stumble into her. It was a group of five Rockets. One of them had a brown cloak. She didn't care why he wasn't dressed like the rest of them. She only wanted to kill him. Kill him in horrible ways that she only started thinking of when she lost him. There was one that she really wanted to try out and this man in the brown cloak was going to get it.

As they came closer she could hear some of their chatter. "Did you see that back there? Light. She just popped out of nowhere and then shoved some black knife through the Master's head. Without even a scratch he dropped dead. That was messed up."

Intrigued as she would normally be by such talk, today was different. She fell out of her hiding place close to where the men stood and bawled face first into the road. Her red hair band slid back and hung around her neck. That caught their attention immediately and they stopped talking. They gathered around her.

"Well damn! Would you look at her."

"Cute ain't she?"

"Hey Cubone, hold her down for us. I don't want her to fight like the last one did." His Cubone came up, grabbed her by the hair, and forced her head up so she was looking at the men. She cried harder to make it believable.

"Check out the face on her."

"Lucky catch."

"After such a strenuous battle I think we deserve a break don't you?" His partners agreed wholeheartedly. "Cubone turn her over. Now sit on top of her and hold her down." She felt the weight of the little monster on her chest and its hands pushed her face into the asphalt. "That's good. Just like that."

The five of them came in close. Too close. She brought her hand to her face and blew on it. Sparkling like stars in the night sky her paralyze powder sunk into the skin of all her enemies. She didn't spend any time on the Cubone. A quick twist of its head and it was gone. Since they couldn't move or speak the five of them gave her the shocked looks they were frozen in. With all the time in the world she lazily pulled out her Venusaur. She pointed at each of the grunts. Venusaur wrapped its vines around their necks and choked them to death. Venusaur picked the last one up and held him spread-eagle in front of the steps of a house.

As she adjusted her hair band back in place she returned to her hiding place and picked up her small make-up bag. When she came back into sight of the Master his breathing quickened. "Did you really think I was going to leave you alive? Or are you scared of what's in this bag?" She came up and patted him on the cheek. "Don't worry," she opened it, "it's just make-up." She giggled at him. "Poor you. No, I saved you for last because I have a very imaginative way I want to try killing you with." His eyes widened almost imperceptibly and flicked to the bag again. "No, silly. It has nothing to do with the make-up."

She sat herself on the steps in front of him. Propping open her kit, she pulled out different cosmetics. "I messed up my face acting for you back there, so I hope you don't mind me delaying your death until I reapply it." He whimpered a bit. Good, the powder was starting to wear off. As she fixed her mascara she kept up the chatter. "I'm Erika by the way. You may have heard of me. Gym leader of Celadon and all that." She finished with her eyes and moved to her cheeks. "I'm not normally this way, but you guys did something unforgiveable this time. Burning down my gym I can handle. Giving me these horrible powers? Not so much. You will be the first to pay for this sin in the proper fashion."

"You're… one… crazy… bitch."

She closed up her kit with a snap. "Excellent. You can talk again. The powder is wearing off nicely." She held out her hand and Venusaur shot a razor leaf right into it. "Do you feel this yet?" She pulled up his sleeve and dragged the leaf across his forearm. Blood gushed out of the wound, but he didn't show any reaction. "No? I guess we'll wait a little longer. In the meantime, Venusaur, strip him." All of his clothes were ripped away in an instant by more vines. "Hmm. Not a very big specimen we have here. It'll do though."

"What are… you going… to do… to me?" He started shaking as the feeling in his arm slowly came back.

"Don't worry. You won't die a normal death at all. No, no, no. That would just not do." She tsked at him. "You're a very special person to me right now. Please make this a painful experience for yourself." She dragged the leaf across his other arm. This time he winced and cried out. "That's what I want to hear." She placed the leaf carefully beside her on the step. "It took me a long time to figure out what I'd do to the first person I caught. A lot of ideas were bandied about then thrown away. Then I thought, 'in my mind what's the worst way to die?' The obvious answer was tortured to death. That would take too long though. What about brutally raped and left to bleed to death? Problem with that is any man would enjoy being raped by me. I mean look at me. Unless if he was gay, but what would be the odds of that, eh?" She laughed at her own joke. "I had to think outside the box. That's when it hit me, forget the box! As in, forget the pussy. Yes, have a man rape another man against both their wills! It was perfect. Until I remembered the other guy would need to be aroused for it to work. Big problem you see." She sighed and, with her elbows on her knees, cupped her head in her hands. "See how much effort I put into this? It's hard thinking up ways of killing people." She paused for the last time. She stood up to come face to face with the ant of a man she now had under her power. He couldn't see, but she had placed something else in her hand. What he did see was her eyes flash green. Not a good sign. "It took me one last moment of inspiration to get it perfect. I loved the idea but couldn't implement it. Where was I going to find a rock hard cock to shove up this as of yet unknown guy's ass? It all came full circle in the end." She showed him what was in her hand, "They gave me this power why not use it as the replacement?"

The man looked at it in horror. He struggled mightily against his bonds as she circled to come up behind him. When she used the vine to forcefully penetrate his anal cavity the paralyze powder had completely worn off. He felt every centimeter of it jam in and out. This was exactly what she wanted of course. After only three powerful strokes the vine coming out of her wrist was covered in blood. This was only the first part. When her arm became tired of thrusting she let Venusaur take over. This was not an improvement. Venusaur's vines were twice the size of her own. As it entered him his screams reached another level. Erika reappeared in front of him. He was in such shock that he couldn't close his eyes anymore. He was forced to watch as she bent to pick up the bloody leaf she had discarded earlier. She turned to face him and held his eyes as she sat down once again. Her face was now level with his penis. His voice rose until it no longer made a noise as he watched the leaf make its final journey. She had a strong grip on his whole unit, balls and all, and she pulled down to make the skin taut. At first contact his arms broke he convulsed so hard against the vines. Either the leaf wasn't sharp enough or she was sadistic enough, whatever it was, the first cut did not sever the appendage. She slowly dragged the leaf back and forth through the bloody mess. After the fifth pass she showed him what was now in her possession. "You're right. I'm one crazy bitch. But you're one castrated mother fucker." That was it. He fainted. The vines held him up as he oozed blood onto the road.

She let everything drop to the ground. "Let him go now, Venusaur." The thump the body made when it hit the ground shattered her last defense. She vomited all over the body. Pulling her knees into her chest she wrapped her body around them. There she sobbed quietly while whispering his name. Venusaur came to her side and rubbed her back to comfort her. When she was ready to leave she checked her make-up once more. "Just because I'm crazy doesn't mean I can't look pretty."

"Saur, saur."

"I'm glad you agree." Down the street something caught her eye. Someone that looked like Ash was battling a trainer with a Charmeleon. "That looks interesting. Let's go, Venusaur."

(Break)

It became quickly apparent that whatever plan they had it wasn't going to include Richie. Nobody could find him. "It's a good thing he wasn't a part of the plan," mumbled Koga. What had come to him in a blinding strike of brilliance was a plan that involved no individual parts. If it was going to work they needed everyone to act together. "The problem lies in the execution." That was the sticking point. Could they even pull it off? Did they have the leaders necessary who could make the split second decision as to when to make their move? He knew he could count on Aya and himself. Richie would have been the third if they could find him. Aya slid out of the crowd, her cloak flapping out behind her, and presented herself in front of him. "Find him?"

"No." Her breaths were a little short after the search. "I looked everywhere. Someone said they thought they saw him heading back north."

"With no explanation?" It didn't matter really. "In the end it makes no difference. If he's a coward so be it. We can pick someone else to lead the third group. That person will lead the bait. You and I will take the other two groups."

"Will this work, Koga? It seems too risky."

"It's the only plan we have. There aren't many options when you're dealing with numbers like this. The people know their roles already so there's no need to change now."

"Venomoth!" They turned their attention to the sky where Aya's Venomoth was returning. It landed on her outstretched arm and relayed what it had seen.

"They're here. About three hundred of them."

"I thought they were bringing over half a thousand through the Tunnel."

"It seems they've split up. Some of them are heading towards Celadon while others are bypassing us and going straight to the heart of Saffron."

"There's nothing we can do about them. We have to worry about the ones coming after us. Hopefully Lara got to Agatha in time and she's able to figure something out."

"What about us, Koga? We still don't know what our powers are." She picked at her cloak. "Sure we can make these things now, but what can we really do?" They were both confused. Poison type Pokémon were known for poison attacks of course, but when you really looked at the attacks they all had something to do with an appendage the Pokémon had already.

"That's another thing we can't do anything about. We'll learn somehow. We need to pick a replacement for Richie while there's still time." He called for order from the troops and asked what, on the surface, was a simple a question. "Is there anyone here capable of leading a group?"

Perhaps it was the way it was asked. The silence that washed over the brother and sister made them uncomfortable. This was a time when they needed heroes not cowards. Finally a man stepped up. It appeared grudgingly, but he took those first steps. He was a rather small man. A trainer judging by the belt at his waist. "If no one else will take the job I will."

Koga sized him up. There was nothing all that spectacular about the guy. The fact that he stepped up was good enough for him. "Alright. You'll be taking the decoy group. Your only job is to make sure the group doesn't get too far ahead or too close. Do you think you can handle that?"

"Yes, sir. I think I can." He saluted him and went off to familiarize himself with the group.

Koga watched him go. The sun moved closer to its apex in the sky. Team Rocket was coming and their plan had been cobbled together at the last minute. Would it really work? "Aya, how much time do we have?"

"None." In the distance the line of the Rocket army could be made out. It wasn't very wide. They were concentrated in one area. Every now and then the columns would separate for a moment as they bypassed obstacles. What struck fear in Koga was the fact that above the army was another kind of army. The air was filled with flying Pokémon. While it wouldn't put a damper on their plans it would still make everything much more difficult. "We have to start moving, Koga."

He knew that. "Everyone who has a Pokémon that can fly send them out now. We need to keep that aerial army away from us. Delay them as much as you can." Pokéball's were thrown in droves. A swarm of their own headed straight for the massive contingent on their side. Flames exploded in midair and other various attacks detonated as they connected. Fallen flyers crashed into the ground ahead of the charging force. Team Rocket broke rank and hurtled towards them.

Koga waited as long as he could. Then he shouted to the men, "Now!" The Pokémon League defenders began their mad dash. The other way. They headed straight for downtown. All those with Pokémon called them out at that moment. Team Rocket followed suit. Pokémon Masters fired their attacks upon the defenders. From this range the attacks were almost ineffective, but every now and then they would connect haphazardly. "Remember the plan men! Don't execute until I give you the signal!"

They passed the first grey concrete and stone buildings. They kept up their hectic pace with the Rockets nipping at their heels and quickly came upon the actual downtown. Here the streets were lit only by the reflections of the sun by the windows of the many storied buildings. The rays bounced off the tops of each building and shone down upon them. The battle in the air had reached them and Pokémon fell through their positions. Downtown Saffron was an ordered place. Every street crossed at right angles and all roads led to the other side of downtown. You could stay on one street and be able to leave the city. Because of this arrangement the buildings were made in perfect squares as perfectly measured blocks of streets filled the city. When the League came to the first of the crossing streets they received their signal. Koga's Wheezing launched a smoke bomb ahead of the group. Koga, Aya, and two-thirds of the army split in both directions. The other third ran right through the smoke bomb.

(Break)

The leader of the Rockets took no time at all to make his assessment. She divided her army up. Fearing an attack from behind the screen she kept half the army with her. The other half she split between the two directions. Taking the time and care that was needed in her line of work, she watched both groups chase after the League. After she was satisfied she led her group cautiously through the smoke. They came out on the other side with nothing waiting for them. The last group had used the time to get a bigger lead. They were still on the same street, but now they were farther away. Leading the way, she began the pursuit again.

Two and a half blocks later they had caught up to the League. Knowing that they had lost their lead the League had turned to face them head on. With only a quarter of the troops Team Rocket had they didn't stand a chance. Only a few minutes into the massacre the leader felt that something was wrong. The ones they were attacking weren't fighting back. They threw up defense after defense using everything they had to stay alive. It wasn't working of course. Some attacks would get through. When she heard the screams behind her, stall tactic went through her mind.

The other two groups had rejoined the battle from behind. An unpredictable decision and an effective one too. Instead of grinding it out with them she took the route of least casualties and resistance. She ordered her forces to storm their way by the lead group. While they were busy getting through she called over one of the Pokémon Masters. She pointed to one of buildings and told him what she wanted him to do.

(Break)

It had worked perfectly. The Rockets had split their army just as he'd wanted. Not as much of them had gone after the decoys as he'd wanted, but they still had this group cornered. Defending from two sides is much more difficult than one. Half of their attention was on them the other half on what was behind them. A gap appeared on the right. A ground Master was calling on his powers and glowing brightly. He stomped on the ground with his fists as hard as he could. A crack in the earth made its way all the way to the building on the right.

"Retreat!" Koga tried to grab everyone's attention with his desperate plea. "That building's going to collapse! Get out of here!" He took his own advice and headed back down the street. He heard the crack of the supports underneath the edifice breaking into pieces. It leaned at an awkward angle until it finally fell on the remaining few who hadn't been able to get away.

Before the dust could settle Koga called everyone to him. "That building is probably blocking off the street in front of us. The other two groups are on their way here. We can't fight them head on. Our only choice is to split up even further. Everyone pick a direction and get out of here. Try to get around and help those on the other side. Do whatever you can to pick off Rocket members. It's a game of numbers and we're on the losing count right now. Whittle them down, that's the only way we'll win. Good luck. Now get out of here"

Aya embraced her brother tightly. Their purple cloaks mingled together. To his shoulder she said, "We have to find out what our powers can do. If we don't we can't help everyone here. We're supposed to be the two most powerful trainers here and yet we can't help as much as we should."

"I know, Aya, I know." He grabbed her head and pushed it harder against him. "We'll do what we can for now." He pulled out his Wheezing again. "Smokescreen." The two of them disappeared behind the screen and headed away together to try and win a war they both thought they couldn't.

(Break)

Too easy. Was he just too strong for them? It didn't make sense. From what he'd heard the longer you'd had your powers the stronger you were. Of course your base strength had to start from somewhere. Maybe he was just so attuned to his element that he started at a higher level than everyone else. Well, he was the League Master after all.

He didn't even bother with the sword most times. When you can shoot lightning out of your hands why use a sword? Only those with any real skill could block it. Those were the ones he would carve to pieces. It was his first real chance to experiment with his strength and he used every opportunity offered to him. He learned quickly and efficiently the best ways to destroy an opponent. What worked best against many men didn't necessarily work on an individual.

For example, when he discovered he could shoot lightning in all directions it helped a lot with big groups. Against one person they could dodge the bolts with little difficulty.

As he was finishing off another group, they always came in groups, he saw Ash stalk by a few streets down. He was drenched in blood and oblivious to everything around him. Following him at a distance was an equally saturated Erika. "That's an odd pairing." He thought about following them but decided not to.

He had things he needed to do that it would be better if Ash didn't see. "Right, Sabrina?"

With no outward expression, she nodded.

(Break)

Ever since everyone had left, Agatha had nothing to do. She could read the maps as many times as she wanted, they wouldn't change. There was nothing more that she could do. As a ghost master her ability was linked to the dead. Incantations were her thing. That wouldn't be of any help to those fighting for their lives.

She'd already sent her ghosts out to keep track of all the battles. Other than that, she had to wait for information to come to her. The move to the north had been the most exciting thing to happen so far. That is, until Lara stormed in.

She came in breathing heavily and gripped the edge of the table the maps were laid out on. "The south west has fallen. Blaine tried to do what he could, but he sent me away because he knew there was no chance of victory."

Agatha didn't know what to say. Their carefully laid plans had gone to waste in a matter of moments. "Where are they going now?"

"I don't know. I warned Koga's group, but other than that I don't know how they'll move."

Agatha took a moment to see Lara clearly. "Lara, are you okay?"

Her agitation was showing. The white-knuckle grip she had on the table made it obvious something was wrong. "No, I'm not okay, Agatha. One of our defensive lines has been decimated and the battle has just started." A few calming breaths later made her appear a little better. "I'd like permission to head out right away to asses the situation in the south west."

"I don't think that's necessary, Haunter will be able to tell us all we need to know."

"Agatha, please," she pleaded.

Agatha was confused. Lara wasn't the type to look to the past. The army was destroyed. There was nothing she could do. Her best possible usage would be to assist the Koga. She thought about it until Haunter surprised her by appearing. "Oh my!"

"Haunter, haunter!"

"Yes I know. Lara has just informed me. Now where are they moving?"

"Haunt, haunter haunt."

A chill permeated through her. It started from her toes and climbed all the way up. "Towards Koga _and_ Celadon? But… but… we don't have anyone defending Celadon!"

Haunter nodded solemnly. "Haunter haunt." Then he added as an afterthought. "Haunt, haunt, haunt."

"Oh how nice. They've also broken up into groups and are now making their way through downtown Saffron." She had to make a decision and quick. "Lara I need you to find Lord Garick and inform him of this development. He should be somewhere to the south in the middle of the city. Lara?" She was gone. "That blasted woman. Guard!" she called out to the hall. The one at the door came in. "I need you to get me the fastest rider you can find. Tell them I have a message for the Lord Garick."

She hoped she was fast enough to think of a strategy to save them all. Her many years of experience didn't deal with anything like this. There was nothing she could do. After sending the rider to see Gary, she just couldn't think anymore. It was hopeless. Gengar had returned to tell her that Bruno and Lorelei were engaged in battle already, so they couldn't be added to Koga's forces. All their troops were in the line of fire. They had no reinforcements.

"May the light help me, we are going to lose." The empty room had no answer to comfort her.

(Break)

What had started as a coordinated effort of attack and defense by both sides had turned into a brawl. Every strategy had been abandoned after it was realized that none of them could be done. Neither side knew how something as big as this should be fought. Nothing like this had happened in over a thousand years.

That was the logic Ash was using to understand why he was fighting such small groups of Rockets. They normally consisted of one master and four grunts or trainers. He figured they couldn't organize well enough to bring them all together after the first collision between the armies. It had been a couple of hours since then and he and Pikachu were starting to get tired. There had been an incident a few fights ago where the killing blow had missed left. Luckily the grunt was incapacitated anyways, but something like that could be a fatal mistake.

Right now he was in one of the richer neighborhoods of Saffron up against a young trainer and his Raticate. Any other time this fight would be over quickly, but neither he nor Pikachu could land anything solid. The outcome of the fight was obvious, they would win, but it was taking a lot out of them to do so.

Pikachu dodged a slash then used one himself. Ash feinted right, left, right then powered with a left at the trainer's face. The trainer took it off the side of his cheek and stumbled. He recovered before Ash could do anything further. Pikachu was just as frustrated with his opponent.

Ash's senses screamed at him, so he dove away from the trainer. A giant yellow beam zoomed through the spot where he'd been and evaporated the trainer without a sound. The Raticate, seeing its master dead, took off. Before it got too far, vines grabbed a hold of its every appendage and ripped it apart.

Down the street from where the fight took place stood a lean figure with short black hair that framed a pixieish face. A face completely masked by blood. The other way, the direction that the Raticate ran, was a Gloom. A very large Gloom.

Pikachu ran excitedly over to the figure, but then stopped abruptly as she passed by.

He waited until she was even with him and then took her in his arms. "Erika. I'm so glad you're here. I was worried that no one had gone to get you since I wasn't able to once the battle started." He pulled out of the one way hug and held on to her shoulders. Peering at her features, he could tell something was wrong. "Are you okay?"

"No," was her answer. "I've been watching you, Ash. I've had your back for a while now." She spoke in deadly seriousness with no wasted words or breaths.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to distract you." She looked down the street to where the Raticate lay in a bloody mess. She pulled out a Pokéball and returned her Gloom. "And there are some things people like to do alone. I've seen the way you kill, Ash. No prisoners, no mercy, just death." He looked down and let go of her in embarrassment, unable to be happy about what he'd done in the last few hours. Necessary and fun though it was, he'd gotten his fill of killing over the course of the battle. His face was just as covered as hers was. Even their outfits had the same red hue to them. "I especially enjoyed what you did to that Charmeleon."

Her words chilled him. He knew what she was talking about. The first trainer he had faced one on one. The trainer couldn't have been older than fourteen. He was vastly overmatched, inexperienced and eager. Thinking back, Ash thought he'd gone a bit too far. Acts too gruesome to speak of were done to the pair. At the time he had gotten off on it. So too had Erika it appeared.

"It's too bad you haven't seen what I've been getting up to. I know you'd enjoy my work. The victims didn't at all. That Raticate trainer got the easiest death by far." She smiled cruelly at him. "Since I took your kill you can have the next one. Come on, we have a war to win."

As she started away from him he grabbed her. She looked back at him with a blank expression. Something terrible had happened to her, he thought. This is not even remotely the Erika I know. The Erika I know is happy, strong, accepting, and in love. Oh, light. She was in love. There is a man in her life now. What the hell was his name again?

"Erika," he didn't know how to do this delicately, "what happened to Eric?"

Her face crumpled. There wasn't a better word to explain it. Every muscle in her face relaxed and her features sagged. The effect was frightening. She looked away from him and he looked away from her.

After a few moments of silence Ash spoke again. "Come with me." He led her to one of the evacuated houses. He tried the door and found it locked, so he kicked it down. As he led her to the open living room, Ash barely noticed all the expensive furnishings or the great view of the backyard. He sat Erika down on the velour couch then sat next to her. Her head immediately fell to his shoulder.

She mumbled something that he didn't catch so he asked her to repeat it. "We shouldn't be here. We have to fight Team Rocket."

"We're in no shape to be fighting. Pikachu was having trouble with a Raticate for light's sake. And you. You're dealing with some major issues and shouldn't be here." He gathered up his courage and asked once more, "What happened to him?"

She was a long time in replying. He put his arms around her and held her close. She relaxed enough in his embrace to answer. "Team Rocket killed him. It's too painful to say how, but let's just say he died happy. I think."

Ash wondered how somebody could die happy, but he followed his instincts and left the question unasked.

Sitting on the extremely comfortable couch while holding Erika, coupled with the fatigue he had, it was no wonder he was soon dropping off to sleep. The sounds she was making told him that Erika was doing the same and he let himself go.

(Break)

Pikachu woke him up a couple hours later. Nicely, thankfully. He felt a hundred times better. There was a stirring at his shoulder as Pikachu woke Erika up. She lifted her head and leaned back into the couch. Then she asked something he wasn't awake enough to expect.

"Ash, where's Misty?" She stared at the giant painting across the room. It seemed like such an innocent question, but they both knew it was loaded. "We're great friends and keep in touch all the time. She was the first to know how I felt about Eric. I haven't heard from her at all in over two weeks. I thought for sure she'd be with you." She trailed off when she sensed something in Ash change.

"I lost her." He shrugged. "I don't want to get into it."

"We all have our secrets." She sighed. "What a pair we are. Talk to the two of us two weeks ago and you'd be angry about how happy we are. Now…"

"We're the ones who are angry at everyone else's happiness." Ash sank deeper into the couch. "Want to hook up? Ease the loneliness we each feel?" Erika blanched. She covered her mouth and brought her knees to her chest. Alarmed, he went to her side. "Hey, I was just kidding. I don't feel like it either."

When he tried to hold her again she jumped and moved to the other end of the couch as far away from him as she could be. "D-Don't touch me!" Then she whispered, as if to herself, "Careless-I've been careless. I still don't know how it works."

Ash let it go. He knew she was hiding things and she was making it plain that they were going to remain hidden.

"Pika." Ash cracked his neck he turned his head so fast. "Pikachu chu pika. Pika-pii."

"Well why didn't you say so sooner!?"

"Chu, chu pikaaa."

"If you couldn't get my attention then why didn't you shock me?"

"Pi pika."

"That many huh?"

"What's going on?" Interjected Erika.

"Pikachu says we have a reception awaiting us outside. Nine Rockets, two masters, one fire, one electric and seven trainers. I don't know how they found us, but that doesn't matter."

"Can we handle that many?"

"Before the nap, no. It's about even now. Let's tip the scales a bit in our favor. I saw that Solar Beam you used earlier. It looked pretty powerful."

"Don't count on it too much. It takes time to get ready."

"Do you know any other attacks?"

"I've got Paralyze and Poison Powders, I haven't been able to make Sleep Powder work yet, and Vine Whip."

"No Razor Leaf… Do you know how to make a hand-to-hand combat weapon yet?"

"No. I saw some swords and other elemental weapons and I wondered how they did that."

"Use this to make your green cloak too. Picture the weapon you want in your mind's eye and concentrate your elemental energy into materializing it. The same way you make Vine Whip or Solar Beam appear."

Erika got up and put out both hands one above the other in the center of her body. A flash of green and an obsidian staff taller than her appeared. "Cool." Another flash and a forest green cloak materialized on her shoulders. "Not as cool, but useful. So how does this improve our chances?"

"Now you have a weapon that works in close quarters and with that cloak the regular trainers might be a little more hesitant to attack you." He got up. "Let's go see what those guys are up to out there."

They went to a window that faced the front of the house and moved part of the curtain aside. In the middle of the road outside the house the group of Rockets was bunched together looking like they were arguing.

Ash outlined his idea to Erika.

(Break)

"Hey guys," then on closer inspection, "and girl." Ash stepped out the front door with Pikachu on all fours charged up at his feet. The Rockets, upon seeing the state that Pikachu was in, froze. "Don't worry, he won't hurt you. We're just out here to talk. I have a couple of questions I'd like answered. Such as why didn't you attack me while I was asleep?"

There was a lot of shuffling of feet and then a few more arguments broke out between the group members. The fire master stepped up. "Because you're Ash Ketchum. Nobody here is stupid enough to attack when there could be a trap. How were we to know that you were sleeping for sure?"

"Good points, but still. There was a good possibility that I really was asleep. Now you've wasted a perfect opportunity to kill me. What are your superiors going to say to you?"

The fire master snorted. "They won't mind."

Ash felt a tingle run through his back and a cold sweat break out. These people are too relaxed. Something isn't right. This guy laughs off what is sure to be a demotion for failing to kill a wide open Ash Ketchum. Nobody does that. Unless he has orders not to attack me. In which case maybe it wasn't through lack of organization that they move in small groups. Maybe the four to a master ratio is what was wanted. That means there should be ten Rockets here now. Their respect for me, the lack of an attack while I was obviously sleeping, the certainty of no punishment, and the missing trainer. It all adds up to the missing trainer going to get reinforcements.

"I don't see where your confidence comes from." Ash went back to his original plan. Reinforcements or not Pikachu wasn't going to be able to keep up the diversion on his own. "Do you think you can take me now that I'm awake?"

The fire master wrung his hands. "I think we've got a shot. You don't have a mastery and we have two here. It would probably be a long battle, but we would win in the end."

That confirmed it. They were stalling as much as he was. Hopefully his plan would work before the backup came. "Even without a mastery I've taken down a few masters. Two more wouldn't be that hard. Neither of you are ground masters, so there's no type advantage."

The fire master was about to reply when the electric master cut him off. "Shut up! Something's not right." She turned to one of the trainers. "Didn't you say there were two of them?" The trainer nodded quickly. "Where is Erika?" That directed at Ash.

Ash felt a blade of grass tickle his ankle. Perfect timing. "She might be right behind me." He dropped to the ground as a Solar Beam blasted through the front door towards the group on the road. When it hit, the ground exploded into dust. His view obstructed, Ash couldn't tell if anyone had survived.

Just when everything was about to settle, a bolt of lightning sizzled towards his position on the ground. Ash quickly rolled away. He hoped she was the only one who was left. From out of the remaining cover the fire master dove out and shot two Flamethrowers in the general direction of the house. Fearing for Erika, Ash called on Pikachu. "Block that blast, Pikachu!"

Pikachu, already charged up, sent two Thunderbolts that crossed paths with the Flamethrowers. While he was distracted the electric master shot out the opposite way of the fire master. She spread her fingers and lines of electric string headed straight for Ash. Right before they wrapped around him dozens of thick vines went between his body and the attack and linked together to form a wall.

"Ash!" Shouted Erika. "I'll take the little electric miss here. You handle that fire master!"

"That's an obvious pairing, Erika!" He didn't mind though. He'd had a lot of experience fighting fire types. Their attacks were all obvious. Those electric strings scared him. It showed imagination. He hoped Erika would be okay.

For now he had his own problems. All he had was Pikachu to defend him while Erika was doing her thing. He sensed someone coming from behind and panicked. The reinforcements must have arrived! A yellow blur shot past him and headed for the fire master. The master glowed red and flames wrapped around his hands. When the blur got close enough he punched it away. It ricocheted away and went through one of the windows.

"Sparky!" Richie, in a yellow cloak, came up beside him. Sparky, coming out the same way he went in, dropped in next to Richie. "Hey, Ash. I've been looking for you."

Ash was shocked to say the least. Richie, _Richie_, had gotten the elements before him!? "Why?"

"I've got some bad news. Celadon is being attacked. It seems that once they destroyed our army in the south west they split up. Most of them stayed in Saffron while a small contingent went to Celadon."

Erika, looking a little haggard, joined the group. The woman she'd been fighting went over to join the fire master. "Did you just say Celadon is being attacked? My city is under siege!?"

"I wouldn't call it a siege. The League has no defense there, so Team Rocket is free to do whatever they want."

The face that Erika made was pitiful to behold. The sweat from the fight had messed up her makeup and she looked terrible. She turned to Ash with tears in her eyes. "I just lost Eric! I don't want to lose my city as well!" She hugged him with everything she had. "Please, Ash! Please. I don't want to lose everything."

"If anyone can lead a rescue party or take on an army by himself, it would be you, Ashura." Richie said soberly.

In his head Ash knew that Celadon didn't matter. Team Rocket already had Vermillion and Cinnabar so as a route to Fuchsia it wasn't all that important. Saffron was the second most important city in the country and he shouldn't leave while there was a battle going on. But how can you say that to a crying woman who has just lost her true love?

"Alright, Erika. I'll do it." Erika let go of him after one last squeeze. "But you have to promise me you won't kill for revenge anymore. That road only leads to more darkness." She agreed quickly. "Richie, you'll have to take on that fire master."

"I can't."

"What?"

"I can't. I'm not strong enough. You saw what he did to Sparky. I may be a Pokémon Master, but I've only been one for a few hours." He thought about it for a second then said, "Leave me Pikachu."

"Are you insane!? I'm going off to defend a city and you want me to leave Pikachu with you?"

Richie pulled him close and whispered, "You and I both know Celadon is unnecessary. If you want Erika to keep that promise she'll have to live through this fight. She'll have a tough time with that fire master if I don't take care of him. Your only choice is to leave Pikachu with me."

It wasn't an easy decision. He would be essentially defenseless. If he ran into a Pokémon Master he didn't stand a chance. In all likelihood 'the man' was looking for him here. What decided it for him was Erika herself. The tracks of her tears broke his heart and he knew he couldn't leave while there was a chance he would never see her again. He felt a connection to her since they'd both lost the ones they loved recently.

"Okay, but if anything happens to him or Erika I'm coming after you."

"I know."

"Pikachu, you're going to stay here and protect Erika from fire Pokémon. I'm going to Celadon." Ash high-fived his Pokémon. "Do a job little buddy. I'll see you soon." He looked the two of them in the eye. "Don't do anything stupid like dying. Either of you."

"Same to you," was Richie's reply.

"Thank you, Ash. Thank you and be careful." Another round of tears burst out from Erika.

"Time to go be a hero." Ash sprinted away in the direction of Celadon leaving everything he ever loved behind him.

(Break)

With a groan, Blaine woke up. He was laying face first on the ground. He turned his head and when he opened his eyes he couldn't focus them at first. After blinking a few times he regretted being able to see. Sprawled all around him were the bodies of the people he had been sent to lead.

As he tried to pick himself up a sharp pain went through his right arm. It took him a while as he stared at the broken arm to remember why it was in two pieces. Using his left arm to get to his knees he was slowly able to get up from that position.

From his new vantage point he scanned the area trying to find any other survivors. It didn't look like it. To his right lay Josh. "I guess he wasn't able to pull off that miracle," he said aloud. "Anyone else alive!?" No one answered him.

He looked up at the sun trying to gauge how long he'd been out. It didn't take him long to realize he'd been out for a few hours. Feeling something trickle down his neck as he looked up, he found his hair was soaked in blood from the wound at the back of his head. From what he could remember the battle had been swift, bloody, and one-sided.

"Still, that doesn't mean you attack on old man from behind. Pussy." With broken arm hanging, Blaine started his journey north.

(Break)

'The man' was happy. There weren't many moments in his life where he could say that, but today was one of them. The battle was going well, all the reports he received said everything was proceeding as planned, so far no one had been able to put a scratch on him, and, as an added bonus, Roy was more than he could have hoped for.

It had been a whim. When they had found him in that solitary cabin he had been screaming as leaves shot out of his skin. Unable to contain his power it had exploded out of him on its own. That spoke volumes to him. The only time he had ever seen that happen was his own reaction to receiving the elementals. They left the kid alone for a while so that he could learn how to control his gift on his own.

When they returned they found the sixteen year old on his knees in the middle of the cabin staring at the ceiling. Leaves filled the room around him. They were three feet high in some places. He walked over and tapped the kid on the shoulder. The kid jumped as if he hadn't noticed the five people in his cabin.

"Who are you!?" He shouted.

'The man' smiled nicely at him. "I am known only as 'the man' and these are my… associates."

"What's the 'R' on their shirts mean? Your associates all on the same baseball team or something?"

"Oh no. We're _all_ on the same team." As the men with him chuckled, he opened up his cloak to reveal the 'R' on his shirt. "We were here earlier and noticed your unusual display."

The boy looked frightened. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Is that so? Then where'd all these leaves come from?" He had no answer. "Don't worry, I'm the same as you." 'The man' picked up a leaf and within seconds it crinkled and burned away to ashes. "I have the element of fire and you have the grass element. If you want, I can teach you how to control that gift you have."

"Really!? But why would you do that?"

"Let's just say I'm curious as to what you're capable of."

From there it had been easy to integrate him into the Rocket army. They'd hit a roadblock when it came to killing at first, but from what he'd done to the latest League soldier it was safe to say that he was over it. In fact, he seemed to enjoy it now.

He'd placed himself in charge of training Roy and he was glad he did. The kid soaked up everything he taught. The Scyther he had wasn't a liability either. He was already beginning to think of Roy as his protégé.

Once Roy finished with his newest kill, teacher and student continued to make their way west. They had marched steadily towards Celadon since they'd left the army, stopping only a couple of times for lessons and because of League disruptions.

They had to stop again a few minutes later for a different reason this time. A Rocket trainer was headed directly for them and he looked like he was in a hurry.

When he reached them he gave his report. "We've found Ash Ketchum, sir. He's inside one of the houses in the richer section of Saffron."

"Have you informed Falcon yet?"

"Yes, sir. He was on his way there when I left him. I'm going to the south now that I've reached you, sir."

"Good work, soldier. On your way then." They watched him head south before continuing on their route.

'The man' had his head on a swivel looking for something. When he found it, he and Roy went inside. He grabbed an apple and tossed it to Roy. Biting into one of his own, he leaned against the display of the grocery store. "Eat your apple. It's good for you." He waited until they had both gone through most of the food before continuing. "You don't like people do you?" Silence. "That's alright, I didn't expect you to answer. You lived in a cabin all alone in the woods except for your Scyther, you became very moody while we were with Butch and Cassidy's army, and every time someone reports to me you're silently staring them down. That scares some of them by the way."

"I'm glad. It's supposed to."

'The man' nodded. "Uh-huh, I figured as much. We're about to part ways for a bit," Roy choked on his apple, "so I wanted to know before I left, why do you like me?"

He actually was very curious. Roy was open only with him. The personality trait was awkward at times, but he didn't make a big deal out of it. The answer was a long time coming. They had finished half of their second apples before Roy spoke.

"You don't want to be my friend, that's why." That was not what he expected. He had shown friendship to the kid as a courtesy, but nothing sincere. It was more astonishing that he'd picked that up more than the answer itself. "You're right that I don't like people. Sometimes I feel like I _hate_ everyone. I don't want to be anyone's friend and I don't want anyone to be my friend. The only reason you've kept me around for so long is because you want something from me. I don't know what it is, but I plan on sticking around long enough to find out."

'The man' looked at him dumfounded for a few seconds, then, naturally, burst out laughing. To him, it was the greatest joke the world had ever told. He though he'd forgotten how to laugh like that, but it seems it was still in him. "Alright, I'll make you a deal. If you can kill any one of these people," he handed him a card with pictures and names on it, "I'll tell you why I keep you around."

Roy glanced at the card. "I don't know who these people are. Wait. I recognize this name. Ash Ketchum. That's the guy you're hunting, right?"

"That's right. That's my list of targets. I've got it memorized, so I don't need it anymore." Roy turned the card over and saw that the words 'Target List' were printed in red. "The first four are the Elite Four and the second last one is the current League Master. They are listed in terms of strength, so Lorelei is the weakest and Ash is the strongest."

"How can Ash be the strongest? You told me he doesn't have his element yet."

"Potential. There's no telling how much damage he could do if he gained his elements."

Roy looked dubious. "These are the six strongest trainers in the Pokémon League, aren't they? 'The man' nodded. "And you think I can kill one of them?"

"I do."

"You sound so sure. Why?"

"Kill one of them and I'll tell you."

That ended that line of conversation. They had moved on to oranges in the mean time and they finished them. After licking the juice off his fingers, Roy asked another question.

"If Ash is one of your targets why aren't you going after him now that you know where he is?"

"Good question. Giovanni told me that if Falcon failed at his part of the plan then it would be my turn. If I know Falcon, he'll get the job done now that he knows where he is."

"If you're not after Ash then why are we splitting up?"

"You remembered that?" God damn this kid is perfect! "Now that you've broken a few barriers in your development I feel comfortable letting you fight on your own. If we split up we stand a better chance of finding somebody from that card."

"Makes sense." Roy finished his banana. "Two questions. What's with the fruit kick and which one's next?"

"Strawberries." When Roy smiled so hugely 'the man' had to comment. "Now that's a smile."

"I love strawberries. I was growing some at the cabin."

"No doubt they would have tasted great." 'The man' popped a berry in his mouth and enjoyed it. "I thought it would be obvious why we're eating. We've been fighting for a few hours now. It's time to take a break and refill our tanks. Adrenaline only takes you so far."

After having their fill of strawberries the two said their good byes and parted ways.

(Break)

Since Lorelei had decimated their army, Butch and Cassidy had moved to a more cautious style of attack. They'd gone back to the basics they'd been taught at Rocket Academy. Creeping in the shadows, looking for the most opportune moment to attack, and never blowing your cover were the building blocks upon which all Rocket strategies were created.

At the slow pace they had set it had taken some time before everyone could find a safe entrance into the mall. The front door was out and so were the other main side doors that were too wide open to attack. Maintenance doors were what they found, but they were far apart. By the time everyone was inside they were separated in odd formations with no rhyme or reason.

Butch grabbed Cassidy as she tried to pass by the display of plush dolls he was hiding behind. "Hold it," he whispered. "There's someone around the corner."

Cassidy gave him a look of disdain. She pulled out a circular object from off her belt. Getting an angle, she threw it around the corner. It blew up on contact and three men flew out of hiding. One of them was in a Master's cloak.

"Damn it, Cassidy!" He grabbed her by the arm and forced her over to the men she'd just harmed. "This is why I didn't want to do that! Those are our men!" He threw her to the tile where the men were coming around.

"Well how was I supposed to know? We're so spread out we have no idea where any of us are!" She got up indignantly. "This awful plan of yours has led to the death of exactly zero League soldiers so far. It's been three hours and the only people we've seen have been our own men."

"There are five other groups out there. They may have come into contact with other groups.

"Then why don't you ask these guys," Cassidy replied haughtily.

Butch kneeled down next to the most coherent soldier. Looking closely he saw bruises and cuts that couldn't have been made by Cassidy's bomb. That's right, he thought, there should be five of them here. "What happened to you guys?"

The man moaned as he sat up. "Butch? Thank the light it's you. I thought they'd found us again."

"They've been chasing you?" he asked incredulously.

He coughed and buckled under the pain. When he recovered he continued. "We found a group of them hiding out in a hardware store. Our Master took out a couple of them before they could create a suitable defense. One of them flashed something and before we know it another group is bearing down on us. We tried to fight them off too but they overpowered us. We ran for it. Only one of us fell at that time. It was when we stopped to take a breather did we lose the other guy. I saw something flash again and suddenly we were under siege. We broke away when something tripped the guy up. None of us looked back."

He didn't like this story. It sounded as though the League was very much organized when the situation made it almost impossible to be so. "I've heard enough. You three will join with us. You will show us where this battle took place. Maybe we can figure out where they went from there.

"Sir, I just have one piece of advice."

"What's that?"

"Stay away from the light."

(Break)

"They've met up with Butch and Cassidy." The trainer passed the binoculars to Bruno. "I knew following those guys around would be a good idea." He laughed. "Watching them get attacked by their allies was worth it alone."

"I don't think it was. We both lost two men. The plan should have taken out the whole group."

"Sometimes plans don't work out like they should. Look on the bright side we have a shot at their leaders now. The other group is right behind them. We can attack from both sides."

Bruno put the binoculars down. "There are seven people in that group now. Three of them are Masters and two of them are probably the most dangerous pair of Rocket Generals. Going up against them would probably be a death sentence without all thirty of us attacking at once."

"Let's do it then."

"We can't orchestrate that in here. The hallways are too narrow. If Lorelei were awake I'd risk it."

"Are you sure leaving her with just one guard was the right thing to do?"

"She'll be fine." He brought the binoculars up again. "Shit. I lost them. Did you see which way they went?"

"No, but if they went back the way they came our back up is…" The trainer was cut off by a loud explosion. "Light!"

The five of them raced as fast as they could to the corner where Butch and Cassidy had been hiding earlier. Bruno dropped to his chest and pushed just his head around the corner. About ten stores down the bodies of seven League trainers and soldiers were sprawled on the ground. There was one still alive. He was in the hands of one of the Rocket Masters.

"Damn it. They caught the three guys whose group was attacked. They're going to find the mirror. Butch is smart. He'll put two and two together. We've got to get out of here before they start looking around for us."

Bruno and his group left the scene quietly knowing that their comrade was as good as dead. They knew there was nothing they could do for him.

(Break)

Butch found the mirror. He understood its significance. The flashing they saw was the mirror being used to signal other groups. He ordered a quick search of the perimeter but found nothing. Upon further interrogation he found binoculars on one of the corpses.

After ordering the death of the last soldier he called his team together for a word. "Where would one find binoculars in a mall?" Nobody had an answer. "Come one. One of you has to know what kind of store sells binoculars." Still nothing. A little more feet shuffling, but no answers. "I guess we'll have to do this the old fashioned way. Cassidy, get Persia out here. You three," he said to the additions, "take us to that hardware store you were attacked in."

When they came to the place Butch ordered one of the men to stay in the location of the attack with the mirror. "I want everyone to search around here until you find something suspicious while still being able to see the mirror."

It took a few minutes, but they found the area where the other group had been laying in wait. Persia got the scent and they methodically went about following the trail. They followed it until it ended at…

"A sporting goods store," Cassidy breathed out.

(Break)

Bruno's group had found an easier target. There were five people but only one water master in this group.

"They're holed up in a book store. We can sneak in around the shelves and blast them before they know what's happening."

"Let's do it."

The five of them snuck into the book store without being seen easily. Unfortunately when one of them tripped over a display, secrecy went out the window.

"Go Pokéball!"

Pokémon of all types were thrown out. Bruno went right for the water master who had called out his Starmie. Bruno threw out his Hitmonlee and left him to it. As all around him books exploded and burned, he called upon his element. The Master's eyes flared blue and in his hands he created a ball and chain. His first swing was right at Bruno's head. He was about to whack it aside when he perceived the ice spikes coming out of it. He changed tactics and ducked. When the ball made its circle behind the Master he changed the momentum and swung down. Bruno rolled out of the way before it could do any damage.

He got up and the Master coiled his chain up to bring the ball back to him. Bruno threw a book at him with all his strength. The Master swung the ball around and knocked it out of midair. He kept up the momentum and charged at Bruno swinging it in vertical circles on one side then the other. Bruno held his ground. When the ball came flying at him he took a swing with a heavy book and tried to knock it away. Instead the spikes dug into the cover and ripped the book out of his hands. The impact numbed his arm. With the chain still flying past Bruno, the Master spun in such a way that the chain looped around Bruno's neck.

"You're mine now, Master Bruno." With one arm hanging limp at his side, Bruno grabbed the chain at his neck with the other. The Master tightened the chain by looping it around his forearm. Tighter and tighter he went until he was only a few feet away from Bruno. The force he was exerting on his neck was tremendous. "I will choke the life out of you and earn my rewards."

"The only reward you're going to get is death." Bruno's voice was strained but confident. He crossed the small distance between them and put everything he had into a kick to the chest. The Master flew through the store. With the chain around his neck Bruno flew with him. He landed on top of the guy's caved in chest.

Bruno removed the chain from his neck and took in some much needed air. A League trainer with his Butterfree and Bruno's Hitmonlee came and helped him to his feet. The book store was utterly destroyed. "Is there anyone else alive?"

The trainer shook his head. "I finished off the last Rocket but only after he'd killed one of ours."

Bruno felt around in his cloak and found the binoculars. Immediately upon pulling them out he found they were broken. "We should try to find everyone and go back to the sports store. We need to regroup and I need a new pair of binoculars."

(Break)

The incursion went smoothly. All seven easily slipped in without notice. They dispersed and met up at the check out counter.

"There's someone in the back. They're crouching down in front of a tent."

Cassidy giggled insanely. "It's Lorelei. He's guarding Lorelei!" She punched Butch on the shoulder. "I told you she'd be done after that attack." Cassidy sprinted while ducking towards the back of the store. She caught glimpses of the guard in the gaps. He wasn't paying much attention to his surroundings.

When she was behind the bike rack across from the tent she stopped. The others caught up to her and crouched in positions around the tent. Cassidy took her pipe out of her belt. She inserted a poison dart and took aim between the spokes. One breath later and the man was down.

They slowly pulled out of their hiding spots. With a great victory at hand they didn't want to spoil it by giving away their presence. When they were all gathered outside the entrance to the tent one of the flame masters prepared a flamethrower.

"Wait until we're sure she's in here." Cassidy placed her hand on the zipper. "When I open it, don't hesitate when you see her." She pulled the zipper softly. It made a small amount of noise that sounded like an avalanche in her ears. The adrenaline in her system made everything clearer. The store looked as if it was outside in bright sunlight. It was halfway down when she realized they weren't the only ones there. All of them felt the ground beneath them tremble. The lights became brighter and brighter. So bright it hurt their eyes.

There behind them stood a monster of a man carrying a monster of an axe. Not just any axe, but one made of pure crackling electricity. "Lt. Surge," gasped Butch.

"Butch, Cassidy," he rumbled. "I never would have thought you'd stoop so low as to attack a sleeping opponent. Then again, I never thought much of you to begin with." He slammed his axe through the bike rack and stomped towards them.

"Get him!" shouted Butch. He and Cassidy split up and came together near the entrance to the store. "I think it's about time," a sickening scream from inside stopped him for a moment, "we left."

"I agree. Time to cut our losses and get the fuck out." Without further ado they made it to the closest exit and headed back north.

(Break)

Before Bruno could wail in anguish at the scene of the sports store, Lt. Surge called to him. "Don't worry Bruno she's over here." He rushed over to the shoe section and found Lt. Surge with Lorelei sitting up in the chair next to him. "What took you so long?"

"What are you doing here Surge?"

"I fought my way through Vermillion and came up too far east. I noticed some elemental disturbances in the area and decided to check it out. Good thing I did too. Lorelei was about to be done in when I found her."

The back of the store was sliced to ribbons. Here and there Bruno could make out small streaks of blood. "Did you get them all?"

He shook his head. "Butch and Cassidy left their subs to fend for themselves and escaped on their own. Bigger cowards I've yet to meet."

"I'm sure they're miles away by now." Bruno gazed out the doors. I can't say the same for their troops. We should go gather our own men and finish off the rest of theirs."

Lt. Surge got up. "You stay here with Lorelei. By the looks of that mark on your neck you've been through some rough times. I'll handle the rest of this mission."

Bruno and his remaining team took Surge up on his offer and stayed. Bruno sat down next to Lorelei. Her head fell to rest on his shoulder and her glasses went askew. So quiet he almost didn't hear it she asked, "Did we win?"

He kissed her head and responded, "Yes, baby. We won this battle. All thanks to you and Surge." What he didn't add though was that he had no idea how they were going to win the war. This battle alone had decimated their forces.

(Break)

After Ash had left, the battle couldn't have gone any easier. Richie may have been weak, but Pikachu was the strongest of his kind. A fire master as unskilled as this didn't stand a chance. Richie stood back and let him go at it.

Erika's end was a little tougher. Ash's suspicions were correct, she was an inventive one. Erika could not be defeated though. With thoughts of Eric spurring her on she dazzled her opponent. Ebony staff a blur, she connected more times than she could count.

As the dust settled on the minor skirmish they were five streets down from where they started, eight houses less in the neighborhood, and two masters down for the Rocket army. Pikachu came to Erika's side, shook her hand, then Agilitied out of there.

Richie stepped up to her. "Do you think he'll catch up to him?"

"I don't know. We were fighting them for a long time." She brushed a little dirt off her cloak. "They weren't that strong, but they kept avoiding all those killing blows."

"I may as well have not been here. All I did was double-team his Pokémon with my Pikachu." His shoulders sagged a bit. "Even then it still got away now and then to attack Ash's Pikachu. Who, by the way, is a freak of nature. I'm so weak," he finished sadly.

She patted his shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Richie. You'll get stronger." Looking around she found herself wishing for something to do. "Where should we go next?" Her voice cracked, "Celadon?"

He shook his head. "It's too late for that. If Ash hasn't won by the time we get there, we wouldn't be of much help."

A wave of dread passed through her, but she ignored it. "Where to then?"

"We should go see Agatha. She should know the best place for us to go."

(Break)

What the hell was he doing? That was the big question Roy couldn't answer. Of course, he was talking about himself. He didn't know what was going on in his life anymore. It had been barely two days since his transformation and four since he turned sixteen. Before that moment, he never thought he'd have joined an army attacking the Pokémon League. Well technically he wasn't a part of the army. He was with 'the man.'

He checked the card he had been given by 'the man' again. How he expected him to kill one of these people was beyond his comprehension. First of all, how would he find one of them? Shouldn't they all be to the south fighting the main body of the army? Then again, what's Ash doing so far north west? Nothing made sense anymore. Why him!?

"Scyther." His Pokémon prodded him gently and pointed to a building that looked like all the others in the business district. Roy didn't think much of it until he saw a flash of yellow in the third floor windows.

"Thanks, Scyther. This time we get to kill an electric trainer. Cool."

"Scy, scy," his Pokémon agreed.

Together they made the long jog to what a few minutes ago had been an abandoned building. The closer they got, the quieter they became, until they were right up next to the building. A window on the second floor flashed and this time they were close enough to hear the scream of the loser of the battle. What they didn't expect was the body that came crashing through the window immediately above them. They jumped out of the way and looked up to see a hooded figure looking down at them.

It wasn't the fact that he had just smashed a Rocket through a window, or that he couldn't see this guy's face, or the overwhelming sense of dread. It was the fact that his cloak was grey that scared the shit out of Roy. Roy considered himself a knowledgeable Pokémon trainer and grey didn't fit _anywhere_.

"Oh fuck," were his first words. "Who the hell are you?"

The man in grey didn't answer him. He turned his back on Roy and headed back into the building. There were a few more flashes inside and then two more bodies landed with the first. Roy was rooted to the spot. His legs felt like jelly and the air was thick with his fear. Thoughts that should have been racing through his mind with all the adrenaline being pumped through his system were passing at a sluggish rate.

In a bizarre twist, the unidentified man came from around the building, exiting from the front entrance instead of the one he had recently created. At his feet was a large, for its species, Jolteon. He stepped right up to Roy and slowly pulled aside a part of his cloak. Roy didn't notice something fall out of his pocket and the guy in grey paid it no mind. He took in his forest garb then let the cloak shift back to its position. Roy couldn't understand why he couldn't see into the guy's hood when he was this close.

"I believe," Roy jumped when he heard the guy speak to him, "you wanted to know my name. I am the League Master, Lord Garick."

Roy tried very hard not to scream hysterically. Right in front of him was the most powerful Pokémon Master the League had. 'The man' wants me to kill this guy?! Are you fucking kidding me?!

Gary looked him over. "I don't know who you are, but I would like to know. We have a special interest in people with your abilities."

Time. I need time! "My name is Roy Ferasicci." That isn't enough he'll need to know more. Think, think!

"Well, Roy, what are you doing here? You do know that this is a war zone don't you?" Gary turned to Scyther. "Since you have your Pokémon out, I would assume that you do."

"Of course I know that a war is being fought here. It would be pretty hard to miss. I'm just trying to get out of here alive. I don't want to have any part of a war between Team Rocket and the League." The lie wasn't even hard to say. It rolled off his tongue with an ease he found liberating.

"No need to get too excited. The League doesn't force people to fight for them like Team Rocket does. If you want to remain neutral that's your decision. You'll be fighting on your own though, and that's tough. I know what that's like and it's not a pretty sight."

"I think I'll be okay."

Gary took that to be the end of the conversation and nodded as he walked away. Roy watched as Gary went off to fight a war he wasn't sure he belonged in anymore. When Gary was out of sight, Roy fell to his knees and thanked whatever gods there were that he was still alive.

The meeting left him shaken and weak. Scyther tried to comfort him but only increased his problems by cutting into his shoulder. It wasn't long before the anger found him. A rage at the world and his weakness brought him to his feet again. Why should he have to be so weak? Didn't 'the man' tell him he was strong? Didn't 'the man' trust him with a share of his difficult mission? Sure, 'the man' did force him into the Rocket army, but it's not like he was against it either.

"Fuck this!" It finally exploded out of him unexpectedly. "I'll kill him! I'll kill them all! Just you watch me! I'll become the most powerful Pokémon Master ever!"

With that final cry at the sky, he bolted in the opposite direction of Gary.

(Break)

When Gary returned to the spot a few minutes later, he saw that Roy had left. The tracks indicated that he had left at a dead sprint and it wouldn't be worth the effort of trying to catch him.

It's too bad, he thought. I might have been able to convince him to join the League.

The thought had struck him after he left that he hadn't even tried to recruit the kid. Such a drastic oversight left him muddled. Something at the time told him that the kid wouldn't be interested, but now he wasn't so sure.

"Oh well," he said to no one. "It's his loss as much as ours."

And then he stepped on something he was sure didn't belong. He picked up a small index card and read the names under the pictures. He stood there holding the card for a while before deciding to turn it over. The words 'Target List' jumped out at him in bold red ink. The funny thing was he was standing right where Roy had been standing, and he remembered something falling out of the boy's cloak when he moved it aside.

"Nnnooo." He drew the word out and let it slide slowly through his vocal chords. The disbelief in his voice was audible to his own ears. "It couldn't be. That kid is the one hunting the top trainers of the League?" Gary shook his head. "Jolteon." He leaned down and held the card out to his Pokémon. "Does this smell like that kid we just met?"

Jolteon gave it a sniff and immediately barked positively.

This confused Gary even more. "What the hell is Giovanni thinking?" When his senses scrambled for his attention, he let loose a bolt of lightning at a tree behind him. The last Rocket of the group he had dispatched earlier died with what was essentially a tree trunk splitting him in two. "Whatever. Next time I see him I guess I'll have to kill the kid."

Gary shrugged then went about his business.

(Break)

He would love to have seen an aerial view of downtown Saffron. After many hours of battle, with the sun now sinking into oblivion, there weren't many buildings left standing. What few were left reflected the now pale yellow sky magnificently. It was a beautiful sight that he expected not to see for very much longer. Scattered all around him in pockets were the remaining troops. Those that had been part of the League's attempt to bring in new Pokémon Masters were all wearing cloaks of different colors. They had never found Richie.

Koga, Aya and the rest of the army were on top of and hidden amongst the rubble of a few buildings collapsed on top of each other. Encircling them was the Rocket army. They had methodically maneuvered to contain them. They had been herded here unbeknownst to them. Unthinkably it had now come down to a last stand. The Rocket leader had to have been exceptionally smart to have been able to pull this off. They could no longer run anywhere. Their number was just over two dozen while Team Rocket still had almost a hundred.

The attempts at whittling them down had failed miserably. Most times they would only reach a couple before they were killed or forced to retreat. Now, they were beaten down, tired, and accepting of their fate. Those who smoked had one in their mouths already. If they believed in anything they had already finished saying their thanks. Pictures of loved ones had already been kissed good bye. Whatever tricks they could think of were discarded as outlandish. There was no longer any hope. The end was nigh and that was okay with them.

The woman Koga figured to be the leader stepped forward. "Gym leader, Koga. It was a difficult battle, but now it is over. You and your men fought bravely. Both sides have been decimated. We will be the victors though."

He smiled politely and shrugged. After taking a long drag of his pipe he blew out the smoke and replied, "So you say. You have us surrounded and we're pretty beat up, up here." His Golbat, too tired to fly any longer, was standing beside him. It was his only Pokémon left with any strength left to battle. "I don't see any way out of this."

Her smile was one you could only make when you knew something you'd waited for a long time was yours. "You are correct. There is no way out of this."

"I wouldn't say that." Koga's head snapped to the left. There, with dead Rockets at their feet, stood a group of people he didn't think he'd ever see again. In Masters cloaks of their own stood Yas, Kas, and A.J. With them were the trainers of Dark City gym and Yas's daughter, Yasmine. "I think this evens things up a bit don't you think, Koga?" Yas in his green cloak flashed him a quick smile.

"Let's do this!" roared A.J.

(Break)

Lance had never felt anything like this before. Fighting with his Pokémon had never felt so good. His Dragonite destroyed anyone and everyone with ease. He himself was even holding his own in one on one fights with other Pokémon Masters.

He was just finishing off another Pokémon Master as the sun sank lower in the west when the warning bells in his head went crazy. He rolled away from a large fireball fired from his blind spot. His eyes found the man in red who had tried to kill him. Behind the man were two Pokémon, a Charizard and a Magmar.

"Elite Four member, Lance," the fire master had a soothing voice to go with a plain face and an average body. Other than the cloak there was nothing special about this guy. "I wasn't looking for you specifically, but your death will be just as important as any of the others. Prepare to defend yourself."

"Who are you and who are you hunting for?" There was something familiar about this guy. He had never seen him before, he was sure about that. But there was just something.

"Who my targets are and my name are no concern of yours. You may call me 'the man.'" 'The man's' hands flashed and two glowing fire red short swords appeared in his hands.

Now he remembered. "I know you. You're the one who fought Ashura and Lord Garick outside Mt. Moon." Lance was glad Gary had taught them that trick with the weapons made of their power. His own hands flashed and he formed a long lance about half again as tall as his body. He did a few ostentatious moves with it then came set with the point directed at 'the man.' His Dragonite dropped in behind him and roared its readiness for battle.

Short swords against my lance. Two Pokémon against one. I heard those two had a lot of trouble against this guy. I've got the range, but if this becomes a short range fight, I'm screwed. He has to stay away from me. Son of a bitch, speak of the devil.

'The man' suddenly started the fight. He went right after Lance, closing the distance between them in a short amount of time. Lance desperately threw a jab at him. 'The man' spun around the point of his lance and swung at Lance's throat.

He ducked and swung the butt of his lance at 'the man's' feet. 'The man' jumped over it and used his momentum on the way down to chop with his other sword. Lance parried the sword then rolled away from the second one he couldn't block. As he rolled he noticed out of the corner of his eye his Dragonite struggling with 'the man's' Pokémon. Unfortunately he was too busy to help him this time. He heard the ground crunch near him, so he struck his lance into the ground and pushed to give himself a little more velocity. He saw pavement fly as a short sword blasted through the air he once occupied.

Damn this guy is fast. I can barely follow him. I'll need to give him everything I've got.

Lance stopped and reversed direction. He ran headlong at 'the man' who was still coming at him. A fierce flurry of attack, parry, and dodge blurred the lance and short swords. An observer wouldn't have been able to follow the action. A flash of red and an explosion forced the two to separate. Lance tried to land and immediately resume attacking when a burning sensation in his left leg forced him to stop. His black sweats had been burned off at the calf muscle. The exposed skin was an angry red.

When the dust cleared, Lance could see that 'the man' hadn't moved. Even though he had scored a direct hit with his flames, 'the man' still showed no emotion. "You are good, for a rookie. The difference is still too great for you to have even a remote chance of winning. I've had weeks to hone my skills while you couldn't have had more than a few days. Do you even know any attacks? I'm guessing it was your leader who taught you the trick with the lance. His electric katana, while crude, did some damage to my gut, so I remember it well."

'The man' was right. He didn't know any attacks. How was he to defend himself? Everybody else had it easy. They all had elements that were a part of the Earth. Even electricity was simple to understand. Shoot a bolt of lightning at them. Gary's statement rang in his ears, 'I don't know what kind of attacks a dragon master would have.' He didn't know either. Dragon Rage? That sounded scary, he didn't want to do that. What else could there be?

His thoughts were interrupted when 'the man' came at him again. Distorting the shape of his lance with the speed of his defense, Lance kept 'the man' at bay. To buy himself some time, he stabbed his lance into a nearby fire hydrant. It shattered into a thousand pieces and 'the man' pulled his cloak over his face to protect it. Lance escaped behind a building. Rule or no rule he wasn't going to let this guy get away from him. He just needed some time to think.

A roar from above reminded him that he wasn't the only one fighting. Lance ran into the building and headed for the roof. From there he had a better view of his Dragonite battling 'the man's' Charizard in the sky. The Magmar was on a roof a couple of houses down watching for the chance to help.

Lance's eyes returned to his dragon. It took a huge slash at the Charizard but missed. A series of aerial maneuvers later and the Charizard ended up behind Dragonite. Out of its mouth came one of the largest flamethrowers Lance had ever seen. His Pokémon barrel rolled to dodge it. It flipped backwards and fired a flamethrower of its own back. Charizard swerved out of the way and the battle continued.

Dragons can learn almost any type of attack. But I don't feel any other element inside me. I just feel this giant force. Not really elemental even, just force, strength, power. He reached for the power inside him and felt himself become stronger. His breathing became less ragged and his burn hurt a little less. He'd discovered something new and even though it wasn't much it was better than nothing. He sensed 'the man' slowly coming up the stairs to meet him on the roof. When 'the man' reached the roof, Lance faced him looking as bad as he had, not giving away his new found strength.

"So, you didn't run away. I assumed with that cheap move you'd be long gone."

Lance waved his weapon around the area. "No hydrants out here."

"Indeed." Lance lost sight of 'the man' and only barely stopped the sword from cleaving him in two as he reappeared inches away from him. He pulled on more of the power and swung at 'the man'. 'The man' turned to block the lance, but when he did he was shot back to the other side of the roof. With his heels digging into the concrete 'the man' stopped before going over. "You just figured out how to do that, didn't you?" 'The man' shook the tingles out of his hands. "Never underestimate an Elite Four. Alright, time to take this to another level." His swords, which had only been glowing red, burst into flames. "Magmar!"

The Magmar that had been trying to get at his Dragonite jumped from building to building until it stood in front of 'the man.' Lance became nervous. Fighting 'the man' one on one was tough enough. Adding one of his Pokémon into the mix would complicate things.

"I don't like fighting with my Pokémon. I find them to be more of a hindrance than a help. Think about it, you lose your Pokémon, you lose your mastery. I had to think of a way to minimize the chances of that happening." He handed his flaming swords to his Pokémon. "This is what I came up with." His whole body exploded into flames. Most of his clothes including his cloak burnt away. Naked and engulfed in fire wearing only his Pokémon belt with three Pokéballs attached, 'the man' stepped into his Magmar. The flame that the Magmar was made of doubled in size and intensity.

Lance had no idea what to do. He reached into himself and dug out every scrap of power he could from the well. It didn't feel like it would be enough.

"Your strength just increased again." Lance couldn't believe that 'the man' could still talk while inside his Pokémon. "One of the first things we learn in the Rocket army is to sense the strength of your opponents. I've known the whole time I was stronger than you. Whenever you pushed yourself to another level I always stayed ahead of you. You should feel privileged, Lance."

"Why would I feel anything like that?" His mind was racing. He had nothing that could fight this monstrosity of a Magmar.

"I've never had to pull out this move to fight an opponent."

"I figured it would be something like that." He'd ruled it out earlier, but he may as well try it. There was nothing else he could do. "Now it's your turn to feel privileged. I've never used this one either. Dragon Rage!"

'The man' waited. Lance waited. Nothing happened. 'The man' didn't laugh at him as Lance had feared he would. What he said cut to the bone though. "You can't just say the words to an attack and expect it to happen. If you don't know what the attack should feel like or what it'll even do, it won't happen." The words chilled him coming from the mouth of the Magmar. "I spent a while going over the variables of this combination. You're just too inexperienced, Lance."

A streak of red was all he saw. Lance dove away but couldn't escape completely. A long gash appeared on his arm and splashed blood onto the roof. Lance immediately took off for the door that led back down. 'The man' noticed his movements and streaked there before Lance was within a hundred feet. On the run, Lance changed direction. He ripped a piece of his cloak off and slapped it onto his wound. It became drenched in blood right away, but he couldn't do anything about it right away.

There was no way he could win the way this fight was going. He needed help. "Dragonite!" He watched his Pokémon stop its assault on the Charizard and dive towards him. His only option was desperate, but he went for it. Before 'the man' could reach him he jumped off the side of the roof. After a few tense seconds with his breath caught in his throat, he saw Dragonite swoop underneath him. With arms open, his Pokémon caught him. They shifted together so that he ended up on its back right where the neck met the shoulders.

When he turned back to look he saw 'the man' jumping on to his Charizard. A slight tug on Dragonite's shoulder pulled it around to face the oncoming enemy.

They stopped in front of each other and let their Pokémon keep them airborne. "You may have the advantage on the ground," Lance began, "but up here, Dragons rule."

"We'll see about that." Without an order, both Pokémon charged at each other at full speed. Charizard started rolling around and around and suddenly two giant flames corkscrewed towards them. Dragonite countered them with Blizzard, and the two flew past each other. Charizard banked hard and came up behind Dragonite again.

They started weaving around buildings trying to get a better angle to attack. Each trying to force the other to make a mistake. The forces that his Pokémon was creating with every high speed sharp turn were pushing him harder into his precarious perch. Flares and Flamethrowers kept flying over their heads while the attacks they sent back wouldn't hit their targets either.

Both Pokémon were expert flyers. It could have gone on forever if Dragonite hadn't made one fatal error. At the speed it was going it couldn't turn away from a building in time. Its tail clipped the building and spun them around. When they stopped, Charizard and 'the man' filled their vision. They collided and went right through the fifth floor of a building. Charizard and Dragonite went in then out again, but Lance and 'the man' did not.

"You won't escape this time." 'The man's' voice had become a little menacing. Maybe the strain of staying inside Magmar was wearing on him. There was no way an attack like that could be sustained for very long. If it happened the other way around… that wouldn't help him now. He needed something to help right away. He'd already used up every bit of that power he had inside him. He could feel it flowing through him making him stronger than normal.

When 'the man' did his Quick Attack, Lance finally figured out why he only did it once, he braced himself instead of dodging it. He felt the first sword slice through his cloak and he quickly spun away from it. Using his lance, he knocked away the second sword. Lance backed away and tried to use his larger weapon to his advantage. 'The man' ignored Lance's efforts and just blew right inside his guard. He knocked the weapon out of Lance's hands and then shoved his other sword right through Lance's shoulder.

Lance stepped back awkwardly. The sword's fire went out but the blade stayed lodged inside him. The shock kept him on his feet. He knew that if he could feel the pain inside him he wouldn't be able to move. 'The man' grabbed his last sword in both hands. His job almost complete, he walked towards Lance, his sword held throat high.

Move. Move. Move! Do something! You are Lance, the greatest Elite Four member! The only trainer in the world able to control the power of Dragons! You can't die to a fire trainer! Dragons are resistant to fire attacks. Concentrate. Concentrate! The power inside you is physical. It's huge and foreboding. You're using every ounce of it already and it isn't enough. What attack that a dragon can use can be described as pure… physical… strength…?

'The man' noticed the smile form on Lance's face. He didn't like it. He quickened his pace but found he was too late when Lance's hands came up glowing. Before he could deliver the final blow, Lance made his second discovery, "Hyper Beam." A solid bar of energy two meters wide collided directly with 'the man's' gut. He flew to the wall, then through it, then through the wall of the building across the street.

Lance sat down slowly and carefully. The amount of blood he had lost was almost enough to kill him. With the sword still in his shoulder he slowly wrapped up his arm. Finished, he prepared a massive wad of cloth for his shoulder. He grabbed the hilt of the sword, and, after taking several breaths, pulled it out. He took a moment to be proud of himself for not screaming like a girl then quickly covered the holes with the cloth. Keeping pressure on the wound, he went to the roof to look for his Pokémon.

It took him five minutes to climb the one flight of stairs to get to the roof. He was so drained from the attack that it was an effort just to lift his foot high enough to reach the next step. The sky was as empty as the rooftop he was on. His Dragonite was nowhere to be seen. He scanned the area, but couldn't figure out where it could have gone. "Dragonite!" He called for it but there was no response. "Where are you, Dragonite?" He said to himself.

He began to head back to find someone to help him when he saw something that made his heart skip a beat. Walking towards the building he was on top of was 'the man.' He was no longer inside his Magmar and he had regenerated his cloak. He was walking with his left leg dragging behind him and he was bleeding from a lot of cuts. He was still making his way towards him though.

"There is no way," Lance said. "No way!" Feeling drained, he knew he had nothing left. With the sun's journey almost complete there was no miracle attack he could use, no help from his Pokémon, and nobody around to help him. Standing there, he waited. He hoped Dragonite would come back in time, but that was just wishful thinking.

When 'the man' came through the door to the top of the building, Lance still hadn't moved. He had mentally given up because his body had gone by the wayside long ago. "That was an incredible blast, Lance." He hated how he kept saying his name. Lance didn't even know 'the man's' name. "Unfortunately it looks like Hyper Beam affects humans in the same way as Pokémon. It is a manifestation of physical force in the shape of a beam of energy that takes its strength from the body itself."

"How?" He croaked out. "How are you alive?"

"I told you." 'The man' brought back one of his glowing short swords. "You're too inexperienced to kill me."

The space between them exploded. Shards of concrete flew past Lance's face as he watched a giant rock snake come crawling out through the building. On top of the head of the snake was a dark brown cloaked figure.

The first emotion 'the man' had ever shown was anger. "For fucks sakes!" He shook his fist at the newcomer. "Why the fuck did you have to come? I was about to finish him off! I don't have enough energy left to kill you too!" He whistled and they heard a roar from the south. "I am out of here. You'd better not follow me cause he's in pretty bad shape." The Charizard flew past and 'the man' grabbed a hold of it. A few seconds later and he was gone.

The person on top of the Onix, because that's what it was, gave an order and the Onix lowered him to beside Lance. "He was right. You _are_ in bad shape."

Lance smiled at the familiar voice. "Thanks, Brock. I really needed to hear that. It's not like I can't feel the big hole in my shoulder."

"I'll get you to a doctor, Lance. Can you get on top of Onix?"

"Actually, I don't think so." He gave Brock a sympathetic look. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all." Brock picked him up and carried him to the top of Onix's head. When they were settled, Onix started to go back down the center of the building until Lance stopped it.

"Hold on. We can't go back yet."

"Why not?"

"We have to find Dragonite."

"Of course. Which way?"

"South."

"South it is then."

(Break)

He ran between the burning buildings as fast as his dying legs could take him. After fighting for so long there wasn't much left in him. Dusk had crept up on him in the meantime. Still, he fought against every cry that escaped his lips, every time his knees tried to buckle, every bead of sweat that burnt his eyes. There was nothing he wanted more than to get where she was. He had glimpsed her sprinting in this direction while he had been busy cracking the ribs of another Rocket grunt.

Ash knew he wasn't going to last much longer. Erika's desperate plea rang strongly in his ears, but there was nothing he could do to save her city. It was already gone. By the time he had reached Celadon with the few allies he could gather there were too many Rockets to kill. He couldn't run away without trying though, so he had slipped into the shadows slowly. From there he stalked every Rocket in the city. He had only seen those three ground masters and he was hoping he wouldn't run into them again. The destruction done by just those three was immense. It had been a while and he was feeling pretty lucky. If that had been who he thought it was running then his luck was amazing.

A flash of white disappearing around the corner caught his attention and he desperately tried to call on more speed. He turned the corner and came upon a nightmare. He was in an open clearing near the bike path. Directly in front of him, only a few steps away, was the girl he had been chasing, Valdera. The flames from the buildings surrounding them made her white dress take in the light and send it back even stronger. It made her glow brightly, almost too bright. She looked even more beautiful than when he had last seen her in Fuchsia. A slight breeze hade her light blonde hair fly out every now and then, but they would always return to where they belonged.

Beyond her were the three ground masters. They looked huge and felt powerful. His knees finally buckled and he dropped to the ground. Ash got up as quickly as he could, which wasn't that quick at all.

When he got to his feet, Valdera turned her body sideways and looked at him. Hey eyes widened and a single solitary tear formed in her eye. "You're hurt." He said nothing in return. "You're not needed. This is my fight. If you won't leave, I won't let them have you."

The leader of the ground masters, the one in the middle, stepped forward. "He is whom we're here for. We don't care about you at all. Leave now and you might live through this war." He gave her a closer leer and added, "Probably not though, if you look like that."

Ash couldn't believe this was happening. He thought his luck was in. He didn't have any Pokémon with him, he was dead tired, and it looked like Valdera was about to die. He looked up at the night sky above him. There, the stars shined brightly down at him. One of them was even twinkling like only a star can. He regretted in that instant that he hadn't looked up more often in his life.

Blackness. Darkness. Shadows. A memory.

Near what appeared to be Cerulean, Ash lay on his back on top of a hill. The sky had just begun to darken and the stars were starting to peek out. He looked over to his right and raised his hand. She clasped her own hand in his as they stared deep into each other's eyes. She into his golden brown and he into her perfect blue.

The silence they shared between them was harmonious. They didn't need words to communicate what they felt. It was felt in every caress of fingers, every deep gaze, every minute pressure of their bodies touching. When you are this deep in love, who needs words?

It became darker and darker and soon the only light came from the moon. Ash, not wanting to, but feeling compelled to, spoke. "It's about time we went back."

Misty smiled coyly at him. "Why?"

"You know why."

She pouted. "They can do the show without me tonight." Her eyes turned upwards and he followed her gaze. "Besides, it's such a perfect night. Why waste it on work?"

"They're counting on you to give a performance. I know…"

"Shh." She placed a finger on his lips and pulled him tighter against her. "I don't care, Ash." Whenever she said his name he forgot how to breathe. She said it with such care and love that it never failed to surprise him to hear it. "Tonight is just for us. Look at the sky tonight, Ash. I wish it could always look like this. "

It was indeed one of the most beautiful night skies he had ever seen. He looked from the sky to Misty again and noticed something strange. She had stopped blinking. Something behind her caught his eye and he gasped.

He leaped to his feet and watched as 'he' came up the hill towards 'him.' It looked just like Ash, but then again, it didn't. This Ash had a darker feel about him, his skin appeared more taught against his bones, and when Ash looked into his reflection's eyes he could see immeasurable pain there.

"What the…?" began Ash, but he couldn't find the words to continue the sentence.

The other Ash continued up the hill until he was right across from him with Misty's immobile body in between them. He looked down at her and hate radiated out of every pore. He took a step back and Ash watched in horror as his alter ego kicked the frozen Misty in the head. She instantly disappeared from their view.

His darker self faced him from only a few feet away. Ash didn't want to be anywhere near this version of himself, but he couldn't get his legs moving. The other Ash smiled at him as if he knew about the struggle Ash was going through.

Dark Ash spread his arms and the scenery vanished. What took its place could only be described as nothing. They stood on a black nothing with black nothing around them. Yet, there was still light. With his arms still wide, Dark Ash spoke. "Hello, Ash."

There was nothing he could say to that. He had no witty or sarcastic remark. There was no hollow adage he could spout to give himself some confidence. He just stood there, shell-shocked and terrified.

"It's okay, Ash." Reassurance was not what he expected at all. "This is just a representation of your mental state right now. Black to match the darkness inside of you."

"And what are you?!" The words leaked out of his mouth unexpectedly.

He smiled at him. "I am Ashura. I am everything you have pushed deep inside yourself and tried to escape from."

"I don't need to escape from anything. I have always faced every one of my problems head on."

Ashura's smile just got bigger. "There you go again, deceiving yourself." He reached across the intervening gap and tapped Ash on the forehead. Instantly, memories crashed through Ash's head. None of them were coherent enough to understand, a man's face with turquoise hair, a skinny woman in a summer dress crying, an old man in a white coat hurting him, but he could tell they put the lie to everything he had said thus far. He took a step back to regain his balance and tried to face his other self with his head up. "Feel better? Good."

"What's going on? I don't understand. Am I crazy?"

"Do crazy people see people who aren't there?"

The man had a point. But that was just a one time thing. There were other pressing matters to discuss. "Wasn't I just about to fight for my life?"

"Oh, you're still there. Problem is, you think you're about to die. Your mind has decided you can't do that without facing the side you've hidden from your conscious for so long."

"What is my hidden side!?"

Ashura laughed out loud. "Isn't it obvious? It's pain. It's fear. It's evil. It's _me_. I am what you could become at any moment if you let your guard down."

"Why haven't I seen you before now? I've almost died hundreds of times in my life." That's right. There were times when he didn't think anything would save him. None of those times had he felt anything as terrible as this.

"It's because of what happened over a week ago. Before then, I was only a mere shadow of what I am today. You kept feeding me more and more and more. Shoving every terrible feeling you had deeper and deeper. It was almost too much for me to handle. I almost broke free after Pallet Town was destroyed. I got closer and closer to surfacing as you became worse."

"Stop! I don't want to hear this anymore! Let me go back!"

"Why would you want to go back? In your mind all that's left is death. Your friends have all abandoned you. Brock, Duplica, Snap, Misty. Where are they when you need them most? You have no mastery, you are weak. Pikachu, your constant companion, isn't even here to save you now."

"You're wrong. I still have Gary."

Ashura's eyes flashed. "Are you sure about that?"

He didn't understand the comment, but he thought of something else. "Valdera."

"The blonde whore who tried to kill you? She's not your friend, she's your enemy."

"Wrong again. You are just filled with lies. I'm not going to be fooled by you anymore. She said she came here to protect me."

"She said she wouldn't let them have you. She just wants you for herself. With every word you dig yourself deeper, Ash. What you thought was rock you stood on has become quicksand. You're sinking deeper with every passing second and you're not going to make it out."

"I don't believe you!" he roared with frustration. The darkness around him shook with his words. "I am leaving!"

"To do what? There's nothing left out there for you."

"To be with my friends."

"To die with them?"

"If I die, I'd rather do it fighting with my friends than hiding in here with you." He blinked and found himself facing Valdera and the three ground masters again.

Valdera walked calmly over to him, ignoring the presence of the threat behind her. Once she got close enough she placed his head in her hands and passed her thumbs over the cuts on his face. "These guys are nothing compared to my power. You relax over here while I take care of things." Her eyes flashed white and then her body took on the same shade.

As she turned to go, Ash grabbed her hands. "These guys are different, Valdera. They're obviously more knowledgeable about their powers. You're going to die if you try to beat them on your own."

"I don't need your help, Ashura. I am stronger than I was when you last saw me."

"Shut up, Valdera! I've seen these guys already and they are incredibly powerful." She tried to pull away from him but he held her hands tight. "I know you don't like me much, no, I know you hate me, but you have to listen to me!"

She paused before answering. "Why did you come here, Ashura? This is my fight and I will finish it!" Her hands struggled within his grip, but he would not let go. "Let go!" Ash sensed a shift in her hands and suddenly a searing pain flowed from her into him. "Or I'll kill you just like I'd kill any other Rocket army scum!"

The pain forced him to release a bit of the pressure he had on her. She took the opportunity to lift him up and throw him to the side violently.

She turned to face her attackers again. "Now where were we?"

The leader shook his head. "You should have listened to him, girl." His voice was deep and had the quality that seemed to exude danger. "You may have extraordinary natural talent for the elements, but you're still just a novice. His eyes glowed an evil brown. "I will do this myself you little bitch and maybe have fun with you later."

His cloaked form flared to match his eyes and suddenly Valdera grabbed both sides of her head. She fell to her hands and knees and vomited on the earth.

"Game over, little electric mistress," the cloaked man said. He seemed to look critically at her. "I'd thought to have you later, but it looks like you really aren't my type. Never mind, you can just lay there and die." Ash looked on in horror from behind her as the leader's hands glowed with elemental power. "Subterranean Spike!"

This was it, he thought. After such a short time of knowing her she's about to die. What did she mean to me? Friendship? How can you be friends with someone after they've turned your world on its head? Ever since I first met her there's been something about her that wouldn't let me stop thinking about her. Is she my friend? She is my friend. Is she my friend? She is my friend. Is she my friend? SHE IS MY FRIEND!

With his last thought hammering in his head, Ash leapt across the intervening space between them. He pushed her away from the attack she couldn't seem to dodge herself and felt a sharp pain rip right across his arm. "NO." As tired as he was he couldn't get anything behind his voice. "All I have left is my friends and I won't let you take them too."

"Boy, you shouldn't have interfered," the brown-cloaked Pokémon Master growled. Two malevolent eyes within the dark hood flared red. The aura around him grew brighter and Ash saw the attack coming.

It was easy to see if you knew what to look for. As a ground master he could only affect the earth around them. Since he was this pissed he would use the best attack a ground Pokémon had: Fissure. There was nothing he could do. His legs were done after using all he had left to save Valdera. He was tired, oh so tired. When he felt the shockwave and then the ground splitting at his feet, he felt at peace. The end had come and he couldn't do anything to stop it. It was finally all over. He closed his eyes and let all his feelings wash through him to feel them for the last time. He relaxed to perfect stillness and felt as calm as a pond.

(Break)

Valdera could only watch in dismay as Ashura fell into the crack in the terrain that the ground master had created. She thought she saw something else fall after him, but she wasn't sure. Where before she felt numb disbelief, the sight of Ashura dying had filled her with incredible rage. She poured every fiber of her being into the white-hot electricity inside her. Pain such as she had never felt before flowed through every nerve. She succumbed to it and lost herself in the power it granted her. She let loose the most powerful bolt of lightning she could muster at the man who had killed her friend.

Shockingly, the leader deflected the attack easily with a wall of earth. He started towards her and she collapsed. Everything she had left had gone into that last attack, and his strength had knocked it away as if it were insignificant. Her extremities still tingled after the attack. She felt another shockwave and imagined herself yielding to the same fate Ashura had. It was all over, finally, all over.

Ashura's blood rolled down her cheek and dripped to the ground. The last rays of sunlight made the blood flash a sickeningly beautiful red as it fell. His sacrifice created the tears she could not cry herself. There was no use in crying over the death of one such as she. She was worthless. If you can't protect the one thing in the world that means anything to you, what's the point in living?

The shockwaves became stronger at an alarming rate and then the ground exploded where the fissure had swallowed Ashura. Black lightning crackled in every direction, gouging the earth wherever it connected. There in the sky floated a black cloaked figure on a disc of shadow. On its shoulder stood a matt black Pikachu. The wind he created blew her hair in every direction and the ground masters' cloaks flapped fiercely. The lighting was racing out of the pair, appearing at random intervals uncontrollably.

His form was indistinguishable, but she knew. When he flew down and a katana of pure black electricity materialized in his hands, she knew he had beaten her again. The ground masters tried to turn and face him, but he was too quick. They were cut to ribbons before they even knew what hit them.

He landed in front of her and held out his hand. She took it and stepped onto the shadow in front of him. The electricity sparking around him didn't harm her. Every place it made contact felt warm and soothing. Her white dress mingled with his black cloak as he held her waist.

She looked back at him and whispered in his ear, "I thought I was going to protect you. Instead, you protected me." She placed her hands on top of his and held on tight. "I will never leave your side again." She nipped his ear with her teeth and drew blood. "And you will never leave me again."

They sped through Celadon towards Saffron leaving a trail of devastation behind them.

(Break)

Roy finished off his thirteenth or so victim since he'd seen Gary and giggled nervously. He was still angry at himself for running away, but killing ants helped calm him down. His Scyther appeared to have been created just for this purpose. A little paralyzing powder from him to slow the enemy down and the Scyther chops off their heads. Easy as Magicarp.

He heard someone come crashing through the door to the house he was in. "Roy!" The voice was familiar, so he headed downstairs to see who it was. Amazingly it was 'the man.' He looked like shit. He must have run into one of the more powerful Pokémon masters on the list. Roy didn't feel so bad anymore about running away. If someone other than Gary had done this to his master, he probably would have died if he'd tried to fight him.

"Looks like you weren't as strong as you thought you were. Was that no-mastery Ash guy better than you thought?"

"Shut your mouth you insignificant child. I almost killed Lance, the leader of the Elite Four. If it hadn't have been for that fucking Brock it would have been my victory." 'The man' paused to catch his breath. "That doesn't matter now though. We're leaving."

"What!? Why? I want to fight some more!"

"I said shut up! Something is coming from Celadon. If I can feel it from here it is extremely powerful. We have to get out before we're all killed." 'The man' grabbed his arm and he reluctantly followed.

"So you say…" He followed his Master as they charged off into the night.

(Break)

The battle had been won, but they didn't know why. At almost the exact same time every Pokémon master from the Rocket army fled. They shouted retreat to anyone nearby. The army flooded out of Saffron back to Vermillion and Lavender.

Agatha was confused. She was waiting in the command center for the rest of the leaders. First came Koga then Aya, Bruno, Lorelei, Richie, Erika, Yaz, Kaz, A.J., Lt. Surge, Sabrina, Gary, Lance and finally Brock. All of whom were now masters. Most of whom were injured body and mind.

When Brock came in Erica went to his side immediately. "Do you know where Misty is? I haven't heard from her and neither has Ash." Brock kept quiet and glared at her. Too tired to make a fuss for now, Erica turned her back on him.

They waited as long as they could for Ash, but he didn't show up before the arguments broke out.

"What the hell happened?!" Lorelei was the first to exclaim.

"How should we know?!" This from Richie in the back.

Koga grabbed Richie by the collar. "What I want to know is where the hell you scurried off to when the battle started." Richie whimpered in Koga's grip.

Aya put a hand on her brother's shoulder. "Leave him be for now, Koga. We have more important things to discuss."

Koga let him down. Reluctantly.

"Were we even winning?" Lance didn't know. He fought the same guy for about twenty minutes.

"We don't know." Agatha tried to be calm, but there was nothing that could explain why the enemy decided to run.

"Well why don't you go find out?!" Lance snapped. "You're the head of the scout teams, get them to scout!"

"I already have, Lance! I won't have you questioning my ability to lead and gather information." That comment from Agatha blew open the can of worms and everyone began to yell at everyone else.

Everyone except Gary. "Enough!" Gary sparked to catch their attention. "I won't have you all arguing when we've just won a huge battle. We may not know why we've won, but we have."

Gary stopped when he saw the door open. Everyone in the room turned to look. There, standing in the doorway, were two figures. One cloaked in black, the other in white. Both of them lowered their hoods to reveal Ash and Valdera. Gary was stumped. Black and white. He thought quickly of every element he could remember. Black and white didn't match any of them. Not one came close.

"Ash," began Erika, but she couldn't finish. His face looked carved from stone and a hundred years older than when she had sent him to Celadon. Something terrible had happened there. Something incredible as well.

Lt. Surge, the one closest to the door, ripped off a piece of the cloak. It immediately regenerated in a flash of elemental power and the piece in his hand evaporated. Staring at his hand he said, "At least we know it's real."

Still nothing from the two of them. When Ash moved forward those around him moved back. He walked slowly to stand beside Agatha. He pushed a button on the keyboard and the point representing Saffron turned yellow. He faced them all with that gaze of ages and spoke. "I'm sorry it took so long. I'm ready to win now." His hands sparked with black electricity.

A matt black Pikachu hopped out of his pack and onto his shoulder. It flashed the victory sign at them and gave its own battle cry. "Pika!"

(Break)

Anguish such as she had never felt before. That was what had crushed her heart when she saw the battlefield that she had left behind. She knew she would be too late when her Rapidash ran out of energy almost immediately after leaving Agatha. She had pushed her too hard to get there in the first place. After crying out his name for an unknown length of time, she fell to the earth and didn't want to get up again. The earth soaked up her tears with no complaint as she wept for her love without restraint.

It felt like she was dying. Reliving all those glorious days in your head is what is only supposed to happen when you yourself are about to die. Wave after wave of happy memories assaulted her senses. They made her feel worse and worse. Joyful memories that would now and forever only bring her pain wiped out her macerated heart.

By the time her wits collected themselves from the pool of tears on the street, the sun was setting on the most gruesome day in recent history. She slowly got to her feet and turned back north. What she saw made her mind fizzle out and restart. There, only a few feet away from her in the half-light of the stars, stood Blaine. He looked terrible with his right arm hanging obviously broken at his side, and his face covered in dried blood. The most unnatural thing about him though was his smile. A man who looked like that shouldn't be smiling. A man like that shouldn't enjoy watching his woman cry at the sight of him.

"Why," she finally croaked out. "Why are y'all smiling? What possible reason could y'all have for smiling at this here moment? Look at y'all! Look at me!" Then quietly, "Look at what this world has become."

He didn't rush over to embrace her. Nor did he reply immediately. He let her stew in her emotions until he must have felt the time was right to explain everything to her. "I thought of a better example that you could use instead of your Christmas one. It came to me right before I collapsed a few feet away from here trying to get back to camp." Her look of obvious disbelief did nothing to deter him. "Here goes nothing. It's like not clothing the porn stars. There's no anticipation if they're already naked."

This answer so infuriated her that she pulled out her flaming whip and wrapped it around her lover's ankle. She pulled it taught and he fell to the ground. "What is the matter with you!?" She rushed to his side and glared down at him with tear stains still visible on her cheeks. "Do y'all even know how much pain I was in after seeing this here place? I thought I was gonna die from a broken heart! But no, not only were y'all alive, making me waste all that suffering, y'all come back to me bearing a joke! How amazingly insensitive can y'all get?"

He let her rant away. She grew quiet when she realized he was only looking into her eyes. "I know I did one thing right," he said when he could find the breath to speak. "I kept my promise."

That did the trick. She couldn't hold back the cries any longer. She tried to stop them by clamping her hands over her mouth, but the moans still got through. The gasps still escaped through the cracks between her fingers. Those cheeks, so close to drying up, became soaked once more. Her legs, exhausted after the long run over here, gave up once more. Collapsing on top of him, she noticed that her cheeks weren't the only ones in need of a good clean up. The effect was double for him since the blood would roll down with his tears, so he had two lines of clear skin while the rest was red.

Once she regained the ability to speak she spoke low for his ears only. "Yes, y'all did. You're an extraordinary person, Blaine. Ah'm so glad I fell in love with you."

"I'm glad too, Lara."

With the sun setting around them they kissed until the last rays of light disappeared. Everything in the world was alright for them. At this point they didn't care that this was only the first of many battles of this magnitude to come. The months ahead would be bloody.

End of Chapter 7

A.N. Part 2: Well, was it worth the wait? To give you a little perspective here, it took me four years to write chapters 1 through 5 which were 96 pages combined (Word, times new roman, 12 font). It took me a little over a year and a half to write chapter 7 which comes in at a whopping 78 pages (same font). I think that's a bit of an improvement.

I would really like to hear what people thought of my crazy Erica. That scene is easily my favorite to read. I think I do insane well. Likes/dislikes I want to know them all.

Just a little tidbit of unrelated information: when I was thinking of Lara's quirk, I was eating peanuts in bed. Without shells though. Inspiration comes in many ways.


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